29 Nov 2006: ISS Today: Experts Warn of Piracy Threat to South African Waters

29 November 2006: Experts Warn of Piracy Threat to South African Waters
Pretoria News, 27 November 2006

Ruthless sea pirates who plunder hundreds of ships each year off the coast of Africa are moving south, threatening South African waters, experts have warned. The United Nations Security Council and international maritime safety organisations have urged the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to take drastic action against gangs of heavily armed pirates.

Piracy is an old activity that has resumed in recent years. The International Chamber of Commerce–Commercial Crime Service has been monitoring this phenomenon since 2001 and has produced annual reports on the manifestation of piracy. These indicate an international incidence of some 250 in 2001, increasing to 329 in 2004 with a decrease to 276 in 2005. The figure for the first 9 months of 2006 is given as 174, indicating a further decrease for the year. Around the coast of Africa the figure varies but shows an average of some 77 per year, mostly around the West African Bulge and the Gulf of Guinea in the west and the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden in the east. The statistics for Africa for the first 9 months of 2006 are 46 incidents with 26 on the West African Bulge and 20 off the Horn of Africa. The reports also show some piracy incidents as far south as Angola on the west coast and Tanzania, Mozambique and Madagascar in the east. One incident was reported off the South African coast in 2003. Recent figures indicate 6 incidents in the Dar es Salaam area for the last 6 months, confirming the southwards movement mentioned in the Pretoria News.

Pirates are not petty criminals or small-time crooks. They comprise highly organised and structured groups, well connected to international crime syndicates for information and markets, and employ military means in their attacks. They operate off “mother ships” and use high-power fast-attack craft armed with surface-to-surface missiles, rocket-propelled grenades, heavy calibre machine-guns, anti-aircraft guns and even armed helicopters. Piracy attacks occur mostly in maritime choke points, where shipping is forced into narrow channels and where control of the seas and law enforcement is weak. South-East Asia, including Bangladeshi ports and the many narrow straits around Indonesia and Malaysia, has been the prime focus of pirates for many years with two of Africa’s choke points -- the West African Bulge and the Gulf of Guinea in the west and the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden in the east -- running second. These areas around Africa are known conflict zones with weak governance and a lack of credible law enforcement agencies. Southern Africa presents another two choke points in African waters: the Mozambique Channel and the Cape Sea Route. The latter forces ships close to the coast because of considerations of distance (which ultimately increases time at sea and therefore transport costs) and the notorious bad weather and sea conditions further south, which gave rise to the name the “roaring forties”.

This southwards movement of piracy incidents can be ascribed to the greater international naval presence around the Horn and better law enforcement in other parts of the world forcing pirate groups to seek new waters for their criminal activities. It is also well known that pirates work closely with organised crime syndicates and rely on such syndicates operating in commercial ports for information about the type of cargo, times and routes of commercial shipping. This makes South and Southern Africa an increasingly attractive target for pirates.

Piracy threatens South African interests in many ways. South African is a maritime nation because of its geographic location, and more than 50% of South Africa’s GDP is generated through maritime foreign trade and the sea fishing industry. The South African economy also relies on the exploitation of maritime resources such as gas and other minerals. Lastly, a serious threat to South Africa’s sea lines of communication will have negative implications for our national image, international confidence and tourism. The scourge of piracy, if not contained, could represent such a threat.

Combating piracy requires effective early warning and intelligence services, credible deterrent and reaction forces capable of delivering firepower effectively, high mobility, flexibility and reach, and the ability to sustain operations for long periods. These capabilities are sorely lacking in Africa and also in Southern Africa. The only navy worth mentioning in sub-Saharan Africa is the South African Navy and even the SAN is limited in its capability. No naval force can be effective against piracy without good maritime air surveillance and reconnaissance. Nor can a few large combat ships, restricted to major naval ports, supply the fast reaction required. In this respect the South African Navy lacks any significant maritime air support and this, together with the phasing out of the Navy’s fast strike-craft, leaves a large gap in South Africa’s maritime response capability. The lack of a maritime air surveillance and reconnaissance capability is probably the biggest single gap in the force design of the South African National Defence Force.

The Common African Defence and Security Policy of the African Union, which gave birth to the concepts of the African Standby Force and the Sub-Regional Standby Brigades, fails to address any maritime issue or threat. Indeed, reading these documents leaves the impression of an Africa without a coastline or maritime zone, let alone broader maritime interests such as trade and maritime resources. The achievement of human security and development in Africa cannot be achieved if Africa’s maritime interests and the threats thereto are ignored. Piracy is a real and serious threat to the continent and is slowly but surely creeping towards Southern and South Africa. Early recognition of the problem and development of collective strategies and associated capabilities are essential in confronting the threat. This requires:

• Recognition of the threat at the level of the African Union and SADC and the development of a maritime dimension to the Common African Defence and Security Policy and SADC protocol on Politics, Defence and Security;

• The development of collective maritime early warning and intelligence mechanisms;

• The development of maritime air surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities; and

• Armed fast-reaction naval vessels that can support law enforcement agencies in apprehending and combating heavily armed pirates.

Nationally, the time has come for all departments and actors in South Africa with an interest in the safety and security of our maritime zones and resources to join hands in developing a comprehensive maritime policy and strategy to ensure optimal responses to piracy and similar maritime challenges such as illegal resource exploitation and pollution of our waters.

Len le Roux, Head: Defence Sector Programme, ISS Tshwane (Pretoria)