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  • Essay / Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea: Taking Initiative

    Table of ContentsBackgroundUnited Nations InvolvementNational Policies and SolutionsBackgroundPiracy is known as the violent attacks directed against any private naval transport by another separate party on the high seas without jurisdiction of a particular state. Armed robbery, similar to piracy, is the same violent attacks but in territorial waters under state law. While piracy has been a problem for centuries, the end of the Cold War gave rise to a modern era where pirates capitalized on particularly weak regions like Africa, the Middle East, Asia, South America and the Caribbean. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essaySomalia sparked global concern in 2005 when it became the worst case of piracy and armed robbery in the world. As a direct result of Somalia's political instability throughout history, piracy became an organized activity that fueled the country's now violent economy. In 2012, piracy and armed robbery accounted for between $34 million and $101 million in ransoms, cash and stolen goods. Like Somalia, many other countries, including Nigeria, have weak cooperation with other states, corrupt government, and lack resources to combat piracy. and armed robbery in order to restore political stability. 200,000 barrels of oil are lost daily to Nigerian pirates, causing Nigeria's economy to lose $202 million between 2006 and 2008 due to declining crude oil exports, which account for 80% of its income. ever-increasing crime. Although the results are positive, the South China Sea, West Africa and the western Indian Ocean region now have the highest rates of piracy. Piracy and armed robbery remain a problem, but complications related to prosecution, extradition, other laws and new developments still require more solutions. United Nations involvementIn response to this growing problem, North American and European operations, such as the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice (CCPCJ), the Security Council (SC), the General Assembly (GA) , the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Maritime Organization (IMO), and working groups from these programs have worked to secure ships, improve defensive technology, and rewrite legislation which saw piracy and armed robbery reach an all-time low in 2017 with just 188 reports for the entire year. The United Nations Operational Satellite Applications Program (UNOSAT) has recognized the dangers of piracy becoming a beneficial organized enterprise, as it already has. in Somalia. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) helps clearly define piracy for the transmission of information internationally in its Article 101, and the United Nations Development Program warns developing countries to crack down on corruption now before it is used as a tool of widespread chaos. In an effort to increase the level of prosecution, the General Assembly's model extradition treaty establishes the basis by which states can deny a request to transfer suspected or accused criminals from another country. The UNODC Counter-Piracy Program (CPP) works with Kenya, the Republic of Seychelles, Mauritius,Tanzania, Somalia and the Maldives by providing training to police forces, forensic equipment to better convict criminals, interpreters to break the language barrier in court of law, legislation, facilities and participation in the extradition to make prosecutions more common and more effective. Donna Leigh, UN chairperson on piracy in Somalia, believes the glorification of piracy can be crushed by mass prosecutions, forcing more citizens to turn to other options. Since the UN Security Council adopted resolutions 1814, 1816, 1838, 1846 and 1851 authorizing states to patrol and pursue Somali pirates, UNODC has become an extremely engaged asset in piracy and attacks armies.vol, especially as it continues to evolve. To continue to address security and order issues at sea and political, economic and social instability, UNODC is filling gaps in national and international legislation to complement any new initiatives and to assist the navy and forces anti-piracy which are widely distributed throughout the country. ocean. UNODC continues to seek alternative livelihoods through information cooperation, new policies and improved criminal justice systems. UNODC funded Puntland President Abdiweli Mohamed Ali Gaas and opened the largest prison in the Horn of Africa in April 2014, capable of holding up to 500 pirates. UNODC must ensure that prisons like these will benefit from fair trials and security, while the pirate prisoner transfer program ensures that convicts will serve their sentences. Their global anti-money laundering program denies profits by stopping cash flow. To ensure the long-term effects of their efforts, UNODC aims to educate young people in Somalia and other poor countries to raise awareness and encourage them to avoid such crime. Country Policies and Solutions Germany is a leading industrial nation in Europe and an economically maritime super country. power with a total of 3,716 merchant ships, the third largest merchant fleet. The German merchant fleet is often targeted by pirates, such as in the attacks on the Hansa Stavanger in 2009 and the Taipan in 2010. In 2011, 64 attacks on German shipping companies were reported. Around 70% of German imports and exports take place through maritime trade, meaning that safe shipping routes form the backbone of the German economy and it is in their interest to fight piracy and armed robberies on all fronts. Germany is an active founding member of the European Union. Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia and continues to engage in the five working groups. It is the leading country in supporting state initiatives to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia and is a member of the Prosecution Trust Board. In short, Germany supports the European Union and UNODC in all investigations and prosecutions of piracy and armed robbery. The German government has agreed on a licensing procedure for security companies on board ships, with strict requirements and detailed legislation. The new legislation is under the control of the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Expert Control (BAFA), with the support and consultation of the federal police. This means that only approved teams with government-approved documents will be allowed to protect German commercial ships. Only semi-automatic weapons will beauthorized and businesses will have to pay $9,800 for licenses. Insurance companies sometimes deny coverage if a ship chooses to sail without armed security guards and those that do increase their rates nearly 300 times more for sailing in high-risk areas. However, the pirates failed to capture a ship with private guards, reducing success rates in high-risk areas. Germany hopes the success of armed guards will reduce insurance rates as well as piracy rates in the long term. While armed security guards are still a relatively new option and many states like Indonesia do not allow foreign ships equipped with these armed guards to travel in their waters, Germany is encouraging other countries to introduce corresponding laws. The legislation was recommended by the IMO and was well received. by the German Shipowners Association VDR. However, legislation cannot control guard actions at sea, as sadly demonstrated by the killing of two Indian fishermen suspected of being pirates by two Italian navies in February 2014. The government coordinator for the maritime industry, Hans-Joachim Otto believes that all standards will be met with the new legislation so that such incidents do not happen again. In December 2008, Germany joined the EU naval force's Operation Atalanta, which worked primarily to protect merchant ships carrying humanitarian aid to Somalia. In May 2012, Operation Atalanta was expanded to combat piracy on land and to participate in the EU training mission to train naval units, coast guards and police officers from relevant coastal countries. They have already trained up to 3,000 soldiers in Uganda for Somalia. Operation Atalanta can carry out airstrikes up to 2,000 meters inland (no German soldiers are allowed to touch Somali soil) to combat pirate headquarters and gathering places on land . Training naval units can increase coastal border patrol, preventing pirates from reaching the high seas ten times the size of Germany, where it is more difficult to track them with only around fifteen active ships limited by different mandates. Operation Atalanta is one of many international responses, but different mandates and priorities may render some of them ineffective. Germany calls for operational cooperation to balance restrictions across programs and better combat piracy and armed robbery. Training German naval troops can improve political stability in developing countries most affected by piracy. Increased monitoring by coast guards and the introduction of more advanced technologies like boats equipped with GPS and navigation can help track criminals easily. Piracy fell by 50% in Chittagong port in 2012 after the government invested in these new developments. More patrols along the coasts and better technology can also help track down “mother ships” and pirates hiding in the difficult geography along the coasts. As governments regain control of the issue, they can enforce laws such as monitoring boat movements in and out of ports to catch fake boats and improve security at ports. A weak state breeds piracy and international aid cannot fully combat the problem until states assume their authority. Germany asks states to accept aid.