The commander of American and allied naval forces off the coast of
Somalia has begun efforts to halt a spike in piracy, urging merchant vessels to sail with armed guards on board and to travel only within lanes now patrolled by warships.
The commander, Vice Adm. William E. Gortney of the United States Navy, said crews of merchant ships were being taught measures that did not involve the use of force to prevent pirates from boarding their vessels.
The techniques include complicated rudder movements and speed adjustments that make it hard for pirate speedboats to pull alongside, as well as simple steps like pulling up ladders that some ships leave dangling for an entire voyage.
Pentagon officials said the growing problem of piracy presented yet another vexing national security threat that could not be solved by force alone, even though increased patrols had reduced the success rate of pirate raids.
Admiral Gortney, commander of the United States Fifth Fleet, with headquarters in Bahrain, said the goal of the more than a dozen warships from different countries now patrolling off Somalia was to prevent piracy. He stressed that there were no plans to mount rescues of the 18 ships and their crews currently being held by pirates.
“The cargo on board does not warrant the risk to the hostages at this particular point,” Admiral Gortney said in an interview here.
The one possible exception is a Ukrainian freighter held by pirates, with cargo including T-72 tanks, rocket-propelled grenades and antiaircraft guns. Any attempt to unload that cargo into Somalia may prompt military action, Pentagon officials said.
As negotiations began for the release of a Saudi-owned supertanker seized by pirates off Somalia, the Indian Navy said Wednesday that one of its warships had fought with would-be hijackers in the Gulf of Aden, sinking one vessel and forcing the pirates to abandon a second.
The rise in pirate attacks in a strategic waterway that carries a third of the world’s fuel supplies has captured global attention. But United States officials say the problem can be resolved only when Somalia is able to curb pirates operating from its shores and the shipping giants take more steps to secure the passage of their cargo.
“The ultimate solution is on the beach — Somalia — assuring security and stability and making sure the conditions that breed pirates are no longer there,” Admiral Gortney said. “Lacking that, the only thing we can do is prevent piracy. And we are doing that as more nations of the world send additional warships to help patrol the waters out there.”
Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary, released statistics on Wednesday showing that so far in 2008, there had been 95 reports of piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and surrounding waters, with 39 of those resulting in the capture of vessels. An estimated 330 sailors from 25 nations remain hostages, with no known American citizens among them.
There have been no reports of attacks on United States-flagged vessels, and officials have interpreted that record as a sign that the pirates do not want to provoke the American Navy directly.
Mr. Morrell said the piracy problem “requires a holistic approach from the international community at sea, ashore, with governance, with economic development.”
Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said this week that there were legal and military obstacles to combating piracy. “One of the challenges that you have in piracy, clearly, is, if you are intervening and you capture pirates, is there a path to prosecute them?” he said.
Although some analysts have warned of a link between pirates and terrorists in the region who say they are aligned with Al Qaeda, Admiral Mullen said, “I have not seen any connection to Al Qaeda or to terrorists per se.”
The hijacking of the Saudi-owned supertanker, Sirius Star, was followed by a report on Wednesday, still to be confirmed by Greek authorities, that a Greek bulk carrier had been seized in the Gulf of Aden.
