Pirates and Privateers - Review of Private Anti-Piracy Navies

The idea of private navies that fight pirates isn’t a new one. It can be traced back to the British East India Company (EIC), whose armed merchantmen fought against pirates in the Indian Ocean. Some of the issues the EIC faced are still problematic today, and the re-emergence of private navies is an outgrowth of today’s maritime piracy, especially off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea. The role of these privately operated forces is defensive, to escort and protect merchant shipping and the men and women who sail aboard those vessels. They emerged because maritime shipping required a more cost-effective means of combating piracy than the joint operations conducted by national navies that currently patrol these dangerous waters. Yet legal and operational obstacles still need to be overcome before private navies will be a viable means to curb piracy. This is what the authors explore in this book. As they write in their introduction:

For the first time in modern history, civilian contractors now operate armed escorts with the dedicated purpose of combat – by definition, private warships. These vessels accompany vulnerable merchant ships in pirate-threatened waters, with orders to use lethal force against attackers, but do so independently of any military command structure. And although no single company operates a navy-sized force, private escorts collectively account for about as many vessels in an anti-piracy role as the world’s combined navies. (1)

The authors have a dual purpose for writing this book. They want readers to understand “the historical origins, current state, and future prospects of this fast-changing sector of the private security industry”, as well as to show what those who enact laws and create policy will need to address in the future. (2) Hopefully, this volume “will serve as a starting point for discussion about the challenges, opportunities, and implications of naval privatization. If the stakeholders . . . can have a shared foundation on these issues, they will be more effective in finding solutions – and more effective at facing the maritime security threats . . . to come.” (229)

To that end Pitney and Levin divide the book’s content into ten chapters.

1. Introduction

2. Historical Lessons

The East India Company’s Private Navy

Merchant Raiders during the World Wars

Lessons to Be Learned

3. The Somali Piracy Epidemic

Collapse and Civil War

Slide into Piracy

The Epidemic Begins

The Problem Worsens

The Tide Turns

4. Current and Proposed Forces

Blackwater

Gulf of Aden Group Transits

Current Private Naval Companies

Convoy Escort Programme

Typhon

Key Incidents

5. Economic Considerations

Savings and Costs of Using Private Security

The Costs of Piracy

Prospects for Public Funding

6. Legal and Regulatory Issues

Legitimacy

Licensing and Regulation

Immunities and Obligations

Territorial Laws

Jurisdiction

Civil Liability

7. Operational and Tactical Challenges

The Pirate Threat

Best Management Practices and Hardening

Embarked Guards

Regular Navies

The Role of Private Navies

Logistical Issues

Rules for the Use of Force

8. Costs, Benefits, and Results

9. Prospects and Implications

Maritime Security off the Horn of Africa

Security on Land in Somalia

Maritime Security off West Africa

Maritime Security in Other Piracy-Affected Waters

Legal Developments

Proposed Private Naval Forces

Anti-Terrorism Operations

Coastguard Functions in the Developing World

Resource Extraction

Potential Functions in the Developed World

Causes for Concern

he Far Future

10. Conclusion

Each chapter begins with a brief introduction to set the stage for the contents to come, while notes are included at the end. These citations provide readers with resources where additional information can be found. A comprehensive bibliography and index are also included.

Private Anti-Piracy Navies does an excellent job showcasing and explaining the complexity of the issues facing these private entities, yet the authors accomplish this in an interesting and highly readable narrative that grabs the reader’s attention. How familiar one might be with piracy and the use of private navies to combat it are mute, for the authors clearly encapsulate the history, realities, and problems without lecturing or talking down to readers. Although the price is a bit steep, this book provides an illuminating, thought-provoking examination on the background and issues and is well worth the read.