What are the factors generating demand for anti-piracy measures off the coast of Somalia?

Piracy is foremost a national security threat (regional security, illicit trade, loss of revenue from reduced ship traffic, environmental threat): it is the Somalian state that bears the greatest cost as a result of their actions. Nearly 4 million Somalis depend on food donations to survive and not every ship carrying food is able to afford having an armed escort, therefore attacks by Somali pirates could eventually lead to a greater threat of widespread starvation than the state is already experiencing. (Kunertova, D. et al., 2010)

“Somali piracy not only disrupts the trade throughout the region, but also increases the overall price of international commerce going through the Gulf to Western states” (Kunertova, D. et al., 2010).

“Piracy off the coast of Somalia has more than doubled in 2008; so far over 60 ships have been attacked. Pirates are regularly demanding and receiving million-dollar ransom payments and are becoming more aggressive and assertive” (Middleton, 2008).

“The international community must be aware of the danger that Somali pirates could become agents of international terrorist networks. Already money from ransoms is helping to pay for the war in Somalia, including funds to the US terror-listed Al-Shabaab” (Middleton, 2008).

To some within the [Somali] community, the pirates are amoral thugs bringing yet more trouble to their shores. … The town of Eyl [is] Somalia's modern-day pirate capital … Mohammed Khalif, one of the town's Islamic leaders, says … “They [the pirates] have troubled us a lot. They have brought us alcohol, commercial sex workers and massive inflation. Lots of killings also take place here.” … Abdirahman Mohamed Mahmoud, Puntland's regional president, took office in January on an anti-piracy platform. He says fighting the pirates is high on his agenda. … Religious leaders from all over Puntland have also embarked on a mission to battle the buccaneers. And what better place to try to reform pirates than in Eyl. At the town square they hold an assembly. Their sermons focus on the vices the pirates have introduced with the money they earn. (Adow, 2009)

References

Adow, M. (2009, June 17). “The Pirate Kings of Puntland,” Al Jazeera English. Available at http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/06/2009614125245860630.html. 

Kunertova, D. et al. (2010). “European Anti-piracy Strategy: Somalian Piracy: Today’s Challenge Addressed by an EU Initiative”, Dresden Technical University, New Dimensions of Security in Europe, http://tu-dresden.de/die_tu_dresden/zentrale_einrichtungen/zis/newseceu/outcomes/papers_folder/MilSec_EU%20anti-piracy%20strategy.pdf

Middleton, R. (2008). Piracy in Somalia: Threatening global trade, feeding local wars. Briefing Paper. Chatham House. Available at https://www.chathamhouse.org/sites/files/chathamhouse/public/Research/Africa/1008piracysomalia.pdf