Pirates Use Freighter to Hijack Spanish Warship

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In October of 2010, Somali pirates overtook and confiscated a Japanese-owned freighter called the MV Izumi, leaving some piracy experts to wonder what their next move would be. Less than two months later, they got their answer. This same freighter was used by pirates on Saturday, November 27 to stage the hijacking of a Spanish warship, the SPS Infanta Cristina.

According to a statement by the European Union Naval Force Public Affairs Office, the Spanish corvette was attacked as it attempted to escort the Petra 1, a ship chartered by the African Union’s peacekeeping mission in Somalia, to its final destination in Kenya. The EU statement went on to recount that the SPS Infanta Cristina inserted itself between the freighter and the peacekeeping vessel, preventing the outlaws from achieving their ultimate goal. Minimal force was used by sailors on the Spanish ship, since it was believed and later confirmed that the MV Izumi’s Filipino crew was being held hostage on the ship. In spite of the remarkable lack of violence or combat, the pirates fled the scene. No injuries or damage was reported. In what can only be described as a happy ending, the SPS Infanta Cristina then escorted the peacekeeping ship to its final destination in Mombasa, Kenya.

Is this style of hijacking to become the tool of choice for the seemingly countless bands of Somali pirates roving the seas? Can it be assumed that not even vessels on humanitarian missions are immune from the pirates’ brand of danger and financial extortion? There are no clear answers to these questions, since only time will tell what strategies these outlaws find most effective. However, one thing is clear: piracy and plunder on the seas are not just the stuff of swashbuckling movies or cutesy childrens shows. The mayhem and economic strife that these desperate thieves continue to create are very real, quite dangerous and life-threatening, and certainly are no laughing matter. Recent years have shown that these pirates, unfettered by the stability of a national government and desperately poor, are more than capable of inflicting violence and destruction. In the years to come, all of the world’s governing bodies will need to work together to arrive at strategies that will not only stop the piracy, but also will help to create positive changes in Somalia, whose national strife has proven to be the cradle of all of this maritime chaos.