Pirates, and their trouble-making, are not just the thing of books and Hollywood blockbusters. Reports of piracy off the coast of Somalia more than doubled in 2008; as of late September 2008, a total of sixty ships had fallen victim to pirates. The upshot of this is that international trade has become pricier, which in turn gives these seafaring terrorists a new way to line their pockets. And these tyrants mean business.
During one incident this year, a showdown between government officials and pirates saw the latter holding a Ukrainian ship ransom for $20 million. That money, which has been as high as $30 million in some cases, has helped to finance the war in Somalia, according to some reports. Groups like Al-Shabaab, which the U.S. had designated a terrorist organization, are on the receiving end of some of these funds. .
According to Roger Middleton, author of a key report on the situation, "at the moment it's a five-six problem [on a scale of one to ten] with the potential to be a seven or eight You're lookin at nine, ten, if it starts to be co-opted by international terror organizations." .
The Gulf of Aden, which serves as the southern passageway to the Suez Canal, sees about 16, 000 ships pass each year, making it one of the world's most important trade routes. Through this route, ships transport oil from the Middle East and various goods from Asia en route to Europe and North America. The pirates know how important this route is, and they understand the economics of how their terrorist acts affect the world.
If all of those ships had to be re-routed, ships would be required to potentially add weeks of travel time to their itineraries, which would mean more fuel consumption and, ultimately, higher shipping costs. .
More than that, even, piracy has hampered relief efforts to Somalia. The World Food Programme has been forced to temporarily suspend food deliveries to the area.