Somalia piracy: understanding the root cause and taking appropriate action

One of the main concerns for the ship-owners as well as for the ship operators when sailing at the open sea is piracy threat. Those pirates usually choose the important choke points to operate, where all the ships have to pass by at one point or another. Hundreds of ships were hijacked, together with millions of seafarers and civilians were held hostage. Ransom payments for each case reached billion figures, causing incalculable consequence to the shipping industry, military force and international’s wealth. Infamous example would be in Gulf of Aden with the Somalia pirates. Nevertheless, many countries and world international body has been cooperating with continuous efforts in attempt to fight against and prevent piracy once and for all. In order to effectively achieve such goal, one first must understand the root cause of the issue then the appropriate actions could be taken. Thus, this study examine the main causes of the piracy, particularly in Somalia context, namely the attractiveness of the sea-going ships, due to the high frequency and high value of international trade. Additionally, whilst the weak government of the Somalia country has allowed the freedom of piracy operation, the collaboration with terrorist group al-Qaeda has also leveled up the dangerousness of them. Nonetheless, the study also shows the sharp declined sign of the pirates in Horn of Africa in the recent year, and it even might be terminated completely.