Topic: Sea Piracy, it's effect on the local economy (Read 735 times)

First, tell us who attacked Yemen and when. Do you mean the events of 2024-2015 and the Arab coalition operation in Yemen? I’m interested in what happened then from your point of view and who had and has the right to self-defense there. After all, then it turns out that bank robbers have the right to self-defense, but the police are stopping them from freely robbing banks and thus fighting for social justice?

The Houthis continue to attack civilian and military ships of different states in the Red Sea and seem to deliberately want a series of good strikes to be carried out on them or a military operation to destroy them, when the civilian population will also suffer from this. After all, they can achieve practically nothing by their actions to impede maritime navigation in this region. But the international community will not tolerate their piracy for long either.

Let's talk about double standards, good topic

1. Ukraine has become a victim of terrorist aggression of an international terrorist country led by an international criminal - Russia. Ukraine has the full, LEGAL right to destroy any objects and living force of the terrorist/criminal, both on its territory and on the territory of the terrorist's country (Russia), which it successfully does. Today the most important airfield of strategic aviation in Engelsk was attacked, and yesterday several more populated areas were liberated from the Kremlin junta )
2. Yemeni Hussites, who illegally seized a part of the country, are supported (or rather hand dogs) by the Iranian terrorist regime, and are shelling CIVIL ships of third countries. They commit terrorist acts and kill civilians. And they cover themselves with the fact that "Israel attacked Gaza" and they take revenge on all those who support Israel. But only the terrorists Hussites, habitually forget that Hamas and citizens of Gaza - committed a terrorist attack on Israel, which provoked Israel to take measures to protect its territory and destroy the terrorists, which is also quite legal.

What do you want to say about double standards? 

Exactly!

You seem to not have read my entire post or the past couple of comments in this topic. I'm not asking "why Ukraine attacked Russian targets", I'm just questioning the double standard.

When country A attacks country B, that is declaration of war against a nation and it turns all assets of country A into legitimate targets for country B. That's the standard that has to be applied for everyone or no one; not just for few select countries!
Nobody can claim that this standard is applicable only when country B is Ukraine and is not applicable when country B is Yemen.

IMO, I don't think so. Piracy severely disrupts trade, driving up the costs of goods, hindering investment, and creating an unstable economic environment. This directly harms businesses and jeopardizes legitimate livelihoods like fishing and tourism. Additionally, ransom payments primarily enrich pirates and fund criminal networks, not whole communities. This money can fuel further violence and instability, hindering the development of sustainable local economies.

Ukraine has been subjected to a large-scale attack by the Russian army and has been defending itself for the third year from continuous attacks from all types of weapons on both military and civilian targets. Russia is trying to seize the territory of Ukraine and destroy it as a state and Ukrainians as a nation. At the same time, Ukraine has the right to active defense, that is, the right to strike military targets, as well as dual-use objects on the territory of Russia itself.

Thus, on August 5, 2023, the SBU, together with the Ukrainian Navy, launched a surface drone attack on the large Russian tanker Sig., which was under US sanctions due to the supply of aviation fuel from Crimea to Syria. The incident occurred at a distance of 32 miles from the Kerch Strait, that is, in the internationally recognized territorial waters of Ukraine. The ship received a hole in the area of the engine room - water was pumped out of it, and it remained afloat.
As noted in Ukraine, the damage to the Sig tanker is a symmetrical response to Russia’s attempts to block shipping to Ukrainian ports and stop grain transportation. But first of all, this tanker was used for military purposes and was in the territorial waters of Ukraine.
https://24tv.ua/ru/ataka-tanker-sig-kakuju-polzu-dlja-ukrainy-imejut-zatoplenie_n2366650

Regarding the other vessels you listed, more information needs to be provided about such attacks.

On the night of December 30, the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched about 70 drones and missiles into the Belgorod region. However, unlike the occupiers, Ukrainian soldiers attacked not civilian, but exclusively military targets of the enemy, from where, in particular, Russia regularly attacks Ukraine, primarily Kharkov, with S-300 missiles. But the Russians launch their missiles from an airfield east of Belgorod, and in order to destroy the missile launchers, Ukrainian missiles and drones must first fly through the city of Belgorod. But the valiant Russian air defense shot them down over Belgorod and as a result, it was the fragments of missiles and drones that fell in the city and caused destruction and death of civilians. There were no large holes in the city from the explosions of the missiles or drones themselves.
The Russian Ministry of Defense first reported that all Ukrainian missiles and drones were shot down by air defense, and when information began to arrive about what the falling debris had done, they began to delete this information. Subsequently, the Russian Ministry of Defense nevertheless admitted that the death of civilians in Belgorod was the result of the work of Russian air defense, since downed missiles and their parts fell in residential areas.

At the same time, bomb shelters in the city were closed.


Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense tried to justify themselves for such air defense work: they say, if not for the “accuracy” of Russian military personnel, the Belgorod residents would have suffered much more. They even came up with the idea that the Ukrainian military allegedly hit Belgorod with “cluster munitions.”
https://war.obozrevatel.com/v-belgorode-progremeli-desyatki-vzryivov-silyi-oboronyi-atakovali-voennyie-obektyi-vraga-rossijskaya-pvo-ustroila-zhitelyam-goroda-ad-video.htm

https://uatv.ua/otvet-ot-vsu-samoobstrely-i-neprofessionalizm-pvo-rf-vzryvy-v-belgorode-obsuzhdaem-s-ekspertami/

You can choose to view history from a certain point to justify a certain fake narrative but that doesn't change facts. For example I could choose to look at the history from 30 December 2023 when Ukraine shelled Belgorod killing civilians including 5 children and claim Russia is just responding to terrorist attacks!!! But that doesn't change the fact that history didn't begin on 30 December 2023, it started in 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea and ~2 years ago when the full scale invasion began.
You see how easy it is to create a fake narrative or should I give you more examples?

It's exactly the same with both Yemen and Palestine. If you choose to see the history from October 7, of course the fake narrative seems reasonable. But the history didn't begin 150 days ago. It started 75 years ago when Palestine was invaded and occupied. October 7 retaliation is the result of thousands of women and children having been taken hostage to be tortured, killed and their organs harvested for sale on black markets inside Israeli prisons for the past couple of years!!
The Zionist terrorists have been doing the organ harvesting even more since October 7 https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/5982/Int%E2%80%99l-committee-must-investigate-Israel%E2%80%99s-holding-of-dead-bodies-in-Gaza%E2%80%8B

It's the same with Yemen, you choose to see the history from 4 months ago and believe in a fake narrative but that war began about 10 years ago when the US-Saudi coalition decided to invade Yemen and annex all of it.
All assets of invaders are legitimate targets just like the way Ukraine is attacking all assets of its own invaders.

Again I'm still curious why you think it's OK for Ukrainian to attack assets of their invaders:
- SGV-Flot, oil tanker attacked by a Ukrainian missile
- Seraphim Sarovskiy attacked by a Ukrainian missile
- Lady Anastasia, a luxury yacht with an attempted scuttling
- Sig, a tanker attacked by a Ukrainian unmanned boat
- a lot more mine attacks...
But not for others to attack the assets of their invaders?!!

Any shipping routes that are crossing Mediterranean and the Horn of Africa aren't as infested of pirates like back then, the pirate attacks have migrated around Indian Ocean I think and although they've done some changes, they're not as hurtful to the global economy and logistics as they are back then, NATO's Ocean Shield and other government operations that involves the protection of shipping routes from pirates have been helping a lot when it comes to this kinds of attack, there's also the fact that shipping companies have learned that there's ways that they can combat these pirates since those government protections aren't going to be with them all around.

The only good thing with sea piracy is that you feel like living in a dream, hunting down pirates and being with them just makes your blood boil from the excitement.

No, what's happening in Yemen is that a terrorist group is hitting civilians ships, too afraid to attack military targets and has only managed to
- sink a Lebanese ship, so probably Hezbollah is trilled
- damage a Swiss owned vessel transporting stuff from India to Turkey

They also destroyed
- 24 Nimitz-class aircraft carriers
- 2 C-709 Longsword Interceptor
- 12 V-19 Torrent starfighter
- 3 Venator-class Star Destroyer
- 18 X-Wing Starfighters
- MSZ-010 Double Zeta Gundams
- 22 Musai-class cruiser
- 14 Dodai YS bombers
and the mandatory
100 detahs stars

Meanwhile another chief of the terrorist IRCG group was sent to meet his virgins alongside the biggest terrorist in the world Soleimani, who was packed so nice for the after life that true Iranians are making fun of it renaming the day Kotlet day!

Also, IRCG is an international recognized terrorist group, and this is a US forum, so keep your terrorist propaganda to yourself unless you purposely want to get this forum in trouble!

Ukraine did not attack Russia. It was Russia in 2014, with the help of its armed forces, that captured the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, as well as parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. But this was not enough for the Kremlin, and on February 24, 2022, Russia attacked the borders of Ukraine from the north, east and south with the forces of its eight armies, giving them the task of approaching the outskirts of Kyiv by 9-10 a.m. The Russian army actually approached Kyiv, and separate assault detachments penetrated into Kyiv itself. Therefore, Ukraine had the full right to self-defense, which implies the destruction of the invaders and its military equipment both on the territory of Ukraine itself and on the territory of Russia, from where the attack was launched, as well as the destruction of ammunition and fuel warehouses, any factories and enterprises that manufacture or serve the Russian occupation army, as well as logistics routes for their supply for waging war in Ukraine. Therefore, Ukrainians cannot be considered terrorists, and the Russian army, which for the third year now has been attacking civilian settlements and the civilian population of Ukraine with all types of missiles, bombs, shells, as well as drones, are undoubtedly terrorists. It was for the shelling of the civilian population of Ukraine and their homes, as well as the energy infrastructure of Ukraine, that the International Criminal Court in The Hague (ICC) yesterday issued international arrest warrants for the commander of long-range aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces Sergei Kobylash and the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet Viktor Sokolov.
https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/c884l4n8n90o

The situation with Ukraine is radically different from the situation with the Yemeni Houthis and their shelling of ships in the Red Sea. No one attacked Yemen or the Houthis themselves. But for some reason they believe that they have the right to fire at and sink merchant ships in the international waters of the Red Sea as a sign of solidarity with the Hamas organization, which attacked Israel on October 7, killing and taking hostage many civilians.

Thus, two cargo ships in the Red Sea came under fire from Yemen on December 15. The container ship Al Jasra, sailing under the Liberian flag from Greece to Singapore, was attacked by either a drone or a ballistic missile, according to the shipping journal Maritime Bulletin. A fire broke out on the ship and at least one container fell into the water.
Later, another missile hit another container ship, the MSC Palatium III, also under the Liberian flag, sailing from Mozambique to Saudi Arabia. A fire broke out there too and was put out. No casualties were reported.
Later in the Yemeni capital Sanaa, at a press conference, Houthi spokesman Yehia Sariya said that the rebels were taking responsibility for the attacks. Maritime Bulletin notes that Al Jasra is owned by the German company Hapaq Lloyd AG, and Palatium III is owned by the Swiss MSC. Neither the companies themselves nor the ship routes are associated with Israel.
https://www.svoboda.org/a/yemenskie-husity-obstrelyali-dva-korablya-v-krasnom-more/32732301.html

On February 18, the Houthis fired rockets and sank the Rubymar, which eventually sank in the southern Red Sea. The ship was carrying about 21 thousand metric tons of fertilizer. Now Yemen has an environmental disaster on its shores.
https://zn.ua/WORLD/utoplennyj-khusitami-korabl-predstavljaet-ekolohicheskuju-uhrozu-dlja-krasnoho-morja.html

I'm curious to know whether you think Ukrainians are terrorists for attacking Russia and Russian assets? Because that's pretty much what's happening in Yemen.

It is not Houthis, it is Ansarollah aka the legitimate government of Yemen.
They are also not randomly attacking any ship.

• After Israel began genocide of Palestinians, Ansarollah initially closed their territorial waters to any vessel belonging to or heading towards this terrorist organization committing genocide, according to international laws.
• Then United States created the Coalition of Terror in support of that terrorist organization to open the route so that weapons and supplies could reach Israeli terrorists so that they can continue committing genocide.
• Then the Coalition of Terror invaded Yemeni soil (air raids and missile attacks) and bombed civilians and civilian structures which meant US and its Coalition of Terror became a legitimate targets.
• In retaliation the armed forces of Yemen started attacking US and its coalition naval forces (they've already incapacitated multiple American and British warships like the British destroyer called HMS Diamond) and their other vessels.
  
  They are also not using "rockets", these are highly advanced and sophisticated anti ship ballistic and cruise missiles used in defense of Yemen and in support of Palestine.

In the case of the Houthis, it is much more complex than primitive attacks by loosely organized pirates on merchant ships using motor boats. The Houthis are firing rockets and drones at ships in the Red Sea from Yemeni territory, where they have long been established. Each such shelling is a terrorist act and the country from whose territory the missiles and drones are launched is responsible. In this case, it will be ineffective to only defend against incoming missiles and drones. It is necessary to destroy the launch platforms and the missiles and drones themselves in their storage areas.

The Yemeni government should be warned that if they cannot restore order themselves, then these places will be hit accordingly. I think that’s what the US and UK did before attacking Houthi missile launchers and storage depots. Yemen is now experiencing an environmental disaster off its shores due to the sinking of the Rubymar ship, which was carrying fertilizers, as a result of a Houthi missile attack, and a fuel oil spill.

I don't believe it would be so easy as we initially assume it would be, though. In order to fight piracy, the government of the interested country would need to invest a ton of money in vessels with military capabilities and also they would need to keep those vessels equipped with weapons and fuel for military to guard the coasts of Africa. It is not an easy task, it is actually a logistics challenge.
What I have seen corporations do to safeguard their vessels is keeping weapons on board and even attached to the vessel, so they can shoot close to the boats of the pirates and persuade them from getting close enough to get on board, though, the pirates know about this tactic and know those in the big cargo are unlikely to shoot directly at them first. So the rush for the ladders and get it.

I have read for those people who get involved in piracy, it is very tempting to do so, there have been cases of pirates becoming millionaires and being able to keep several wives after only one successful heist against an international vessel. For that kind of quality of life, they are willing to risk their integrity.

The problem of government corruption in Nigeria is first and foremost a problem for the Nigerian people. After all, other states do not have the right to interfere in the internal affairs of Nigeria. You say that out of desperation, in order to somehow get involved, Nigerians commit crimes. Why don't they unite and kick out their corrupt government? If they lack intelligence and courage, then such a people are doomed to such a miserable existence. Nigerians have themselves to blame for this, but attacking others in the process is reckless and stupid in every way.

Terrorist gangs like the Houthis and their cowardly masters (like the Iranian regime) are framing the Houthis. They will now be given some time to "prove themselves". By doing so, they will sign their "death sentence" - a terrorist group that disrupts civil transportation, endangering the lives of citizens of different countries..... And that's it ! There were the Hussites and there are no more Hussites. Playing with other people's lives is a favorite game of cowardly totalitarian terrorist regimes. I hope the not very smart "puppets" of their games will realize this at some point....

PS Does everyone know who suffered the biggest losses from the idiotic terrorist attacks of the Hussites ?

IMO government can solve the problem of sea pirates easily if they wanted to, unless someone is also benefiting from their actions, we well know how big business men and crime syndicate s bribe government officials from time to time, and no one can justify kidnapping and stealing as a means to and end for poverty cause at the end of the day they are clearly harming the wrong people, if only they could direct the aggression towards the government then they would have gotten some development by now.

The main problem behind this, is corrupt governments. Take Nigeria as an example, they are a Oil rich country and the citizens should flourish, but most of those riches are wasted on a few government fat cats and their friend and family.

Yesterday, loads of people were trampled to death in Lagos, because the Nigerian custom service paused the sale of seized bags of RICE. 

People will turn to crime to survive.. and the criminals are stealing at the top and turning a blind eye to the pirates that are attacking ships on the trade routes.

Maritime piracy also has another negative side. This is a threat of environmental disaster in the region.
Yemeni authorities are now seeking international assistance after a Houthi missile hit the UK-registered cargo ship Rubymar in the Red Sea on February 18, while it was carrying
fertilizers - 22,000 tons of sulfoammophos from Saudi Arabia to Bulgaria. Rubymar has hull damage in the main engine area and is already polluting surrounding waters with fuel oil leaks. The Yemeni government called for help to prevent a potential environmental disaster and in an official statement condemned the Houthi attack, which caused extensive damage before 24 crew members were evacuated. A drifting ship is heading towards Yemen's Hanish Islands in the Red Sea.

Later, information also appeared that the cargo ship Rubymar sank after all.

Houthi attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden have increased since November 19, 2023. Since then, there have been 48 attacks and at least 11 ships damaged.

https://zn.ua/amp/WORLD/v-jemene-khotjat-predotvratit-ekolohicheskuju-katastrofu-khusity-popali-v-sukhohruz-s-udobrenijami-iz-saudovskoj-aravii.html

https://unn.ua/ru/amp/britanskii-korabl-posle-napadeniya-khusitov-tonet-v-krasnom-more

Maritime piracy is a “light version” of terrorism on the water. And as we know, terrorism is a variant of the “bastard business.” Let me explain why! Because classic business uses the labor of hired workers who create added value, and terrorism uses the LIVES of both the supporters-executors of the terrorist ideology and their victims. At the same time, the “cream” is skimmed not by those who put on a suicide bomber’s belt, or go out to sea to attack a civilian ship, but those who live in luxurious houses have servants, all the requisites of a rich and prosperous life, and huge reserves of money. Because they are not in a hurry to reach the “72 Furies”, but want to live well-fed, richly and happily in this world, and create the same conditions for their children and loved ones. At the expense of the LIVES of those who are subject to their propaganda and indoctrination. By the way, this is why the leaders of such groups/regimes are categorically against progress, education, and freedoms - they need an undeveloped, backward population, because such a society is most susceptible to propaganda and indoctrination, even the most idiotic ideas

I agree that piracy in any case negatively affects the image and economy of the countries where this illegal fishing is carried out. Areas where piracy is recorded try to bypass merchant ships, which means states there will lose profits from a decrease in the number of trade transactions.

Piracy is not carried out by the state, but by individuals. Today they can capture a merchant ship, and tomorrow they will attack the decoy ship and destroy all the pirates. After all, international society will not tolerate such facts of open violence for a long time. Piracy must be fought extremely harshly, and if you try to attack merchant ships, everyone must simply be destroyed. This is the only way to restore order and calm in such regions.