America.gov (Washington, DC)
30 June 2009
document
David Foran, a foreign service officer with the State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, answered questions in a June 30 CO.NX webchat on fighting naval piracy in the 21st century.
Following is the transcript:
(begin transcript)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of International Information Programs
Webchat Transcript
CO.NX Chat: Fighting Piracy in the 21st Century Q&A
Guest: David Foran
Date: June 30, 2009
Time: 9 a.m. EDT (13:00 GMT)
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): If you are just joining us, welcome! Feel free to introduce yourself to our group. I am Mark Betka here in Washington, D.C. I am one of the moderators for today's chat.
Let me make some adjustments to the screen. If you are on a PC, use the F11 key for a larger screen view.
Comment [Matt Kerr]: My name is Matt Kerr and I am a physics graduate student in North Carolina, though I'm originally from Pittsburgh, PA.
Comment [Jinx]: hello
Comment [Abdikani Hasan Mahamud]: haye
hello am abdikaani hasan experet pirates
Comment [Moataz Alhady]: Hello Tim
Comment [Lee]: Hi im lee merritt from Braintree in Essex,UK
Comment [Mary Furnivall]: Hello, Im Mary Furnivall from Nairobi, Kenya
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): Hi Mary and everyone online with us today.
I'll bring up our attendance Pod in just a moment.
Question [Muheed Jeeran]: Could you please confirm about the conference time?
Answer [CO.NX Moderator (Mark)]: Hello Muhheed, we'll begin our chat session in about 10-15 minutes at 13:00 GMT.
Comment [Rooble, Somalilandpress.com]: Hello, I'm Rooble, the Editor in Chief of Somalilandpress in Hargeisa, Somaliland
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): Roobie, welcome to our chat. We look forward to your questions and comments.
Comment [hari]: hi I'm Hari a final year medical student from India ... this is the first live chat I'm attending.
CO.NX Moderator (Amelia): Welcome Hari! We are very happy to have you here
Comment [Muheed Jeeran]: Hello let me introduce myself. I am Muheed Jeeran currently residing in Sri Lanka, a prominent UK Conservative Party activist and a Campaign advisor to Meyer F Marks, He is a republican Congressman Candidate for Marlyland state.
CO.NX Moderator (Amelia): Welcome! We're glad you're here.
If you are just coming into the room, please introduce yourself and tell us where you're from :-)
Comment [jose-manuel]: Hi, I am Jose-Manuel Ferrer, from Spain (by the moment it still exists), MBA, co-fundator of AsociaciÃ'n Sinergias e InnovaciÃ'n de AragÃ'n (ASIA) and manager director of a comercial company
Comment [Mo Gillen]: Hi, I'm Mo Gillen and I'm in the US Army
Question [Rooble, Somalilandpress.com]: It has been quite a while since the starting of the piracy in Somalia's coast, Lots of efforts have been paid and thousands of Dollars were spent plus the huge army located in the sea but there is no sign of the piracy decreasing. I believe it is time we do a total evaluation os what has been done, what has not been done and what is to be done. A full evaluation of the whole issue. It is hard to believe there is a piracy in a place where you have tens of warships from all over the world.
Answer [David Foran]: Despite the continuation in pirate activities, a great deal of progress has been made. The rate of successful attacks is down to less than 25%, due in part to better efforts to self-protect on the part of industry. You also have to remember that the twenty or so warships available are covering an area four times the size of Texas. We continually evaluate our efforts and look for ways to improve.
Comment [Muheed Jeeran]: Before I put my question, this is my second forum and I really appriciate this forum. This type of forum united the world to discuss a global issue and also united soltution to the problem. Thank you very much for the US State Government.
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): Muheed, thank you for your words. We want to remind everyone about CO.NX, our global online dialogue in Facebook. http://co-nx.state.gov. These chats are part of CO.NX, when the chats are not taking place, please join us in Facebook to continue the discussion on whatever topics you are interested in.
Q [Mary Furnivall]: Why is it so difficult to stem pirate activity off the coast of East Africa? For example, off the coast of Somalia, I understand the pirates launch zodiac-type boats off a mother ship. With our satelitte technology, why cant we stop these mother ships?
A [David Foran]: The biggest problem is the huge area that pirates operate in. Mother ships are often pirated fishing boats that have crew members held as hostages. These vessels can be difficult to track. Again, there are limited assets available to try to track pirates.
Q [cairoirc@state.gov]: Do you think if the stution on Somali changed this will help
A [David Foran]: Yes, I think everyone agrees that the ultimate solution to piracy lies on the land with a stable Somali government.
Q [cairoirc@state.gov]: Can all the world countries make a law by which they can overcome piracy
A [David Foran]: Most countries currently have laws that allow for the prosecution of pirates. One of our challenges is convincing governments to use these laws to prosecute pirates.
Q [Kenya Son]: Will arming ships get rid of pirates?
A [David Foran]: That's a good question. The short answer is we don't know. The US Coast Guard recently issued guidelines to US flagged vessels that will operate near Somalia advising that they should consider the use of armed or unarmed security. There's a great deal of concern on the part of industry about potential liability arising from the use of armed security.
Q [Hillman]: If you could recommend one thing to stop these pirates what would it be?
A [David Foran]: In my opinion ships use of self-protection provides the greatest deterrence against successful pirate. As I mentioned earlier, the success rate for pirate attacks is below 25% compared with 2008 when success rates were over 40%. I think shipper self protection plays a large role in this reduced success rate.
Q [Hillman]: Where do you see the Somalia pirate situation in 5 years? 10 Years?
A [David Foran]: I think a lot will depend on the situation on the ground in Somalia. Our hope is that by that time, there will be a stable Somali government in control of its territory. If that is the case, piracy will no longer be the problem it is today.
Q [Mary Furnivall]: What's happening to the money being paid to the pirates as ransom? Who is spending it, through what channels, where, and do we know for what?
A [David Foran]: We are trying to get a handle on the flow of pirate money. This is difficult since ransom is paid in cash which is difficult to track.
Q [Matt Kerr]: Is Donna Hopkins signed in as David Foran? If not, could you ask David to please introduce himself?
A [David Foran]: Sorry, I am a Foreign Service Officer in the State Department's Political Military Bureau. My portfolio is focused on Somali piracy. I work closely with Donna.
Q [Mo Gillen]: If self-protection is the greatest contributor to the reduced attacks, where would you rank the deterrent effect of US and partner nation warships? Also, what about the piracy off the West coast of the continent?
A [David Foran]: I think deterrence due to the presence of an international coalition of naval vessels also has significantly disrupted pirate operations. This is best illustrated by the movement of pirates further and further from Somalia. We now have had attacks more than 600 nautical miles from the Somali coast. This increased distance presents a number of challenges to pirates and to the navies trying to fight them.
CO.NX Moderator (Josh): Hi Everyone! I'm Josh an Intern with the CO.NX program. Amelia and Catherine are stepping out so I will be helping moderate the chat!
Q [Muheed Jeeran]: I think the major problem is the instability government in Somalia. This problem needs to be tackle by the UN. However, I am thinking that if we can a have global committee to finding a solution for handling the Pirates problem and preventing future hijacks will be a best solution at the moment. We can have a committee with all the relevant types of expertise people who can able to handle this issue. What do you think about that?
A [David Foran]: We already have such a group. The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS) formed in January of this year includes nearly 40 countries and international organizations that are working together to fight piracy. The CGPCS has 4 working groups that deal with issues like coordination of anti-piracy activities, legal issues, shipper self-protection, public diplomacy and regional capacity building.
Q [Matt Kerr]: Where are you from David?
A [David Foran]: I'm originally from Connecticut and have worked for the State Department for the last nine years having served in the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, The Bahamas and Colombia before joining the fight against piracy.
CO.NX Moderator (Josh): If you're just joining the chat, please introduce yourself!
Q [Matt Kerr]: Hello Mrs. Hopkins, my name is Matt Kerr and I am a physics graduate student in North Carolina. I have heard of things such as water spraying systems being used as a limited line of defense against pirates trying to board ships. In your opinion, what are some of the more promising technologies that are being considered to deter and confront pirates onboard the victim ships. Also, you mentioned in your last online session that some ports are forbidden to ships that are armed. I'm sure these laws vary slightly depending on the port, but by arms, do they typically mean only those that are lethal? If so, would ships carrying non-lethal firearms (rubber bullets, bean bag projectiles), or other non-lethal possibilities (directed sound waves, lasers) be allowed into the ports in question? Do you think the U.S. government would ever consider subsidizing or partially subsidizing the cost of outfitting the ships of U.S. shipping companies with piracy defense systems? Does the U.S. government provide any fundin
A [David Foran]: Some of the suggestions you've made are currently part of self protection employed by many of the vessels traveling in near Somalia. The US government to date has no plans to subsidize shippers self protection.
Q [hari]: Since Somalia is a country that is actually an agglomeration of fiefdoms ruled by warlords with a weak central government. Could one of these powerful warlords have a hand in Piracy operations
A [David Foran]: It's quite likely that some of these warlords have their hands in piracy.
Q [jose-manuel]: and what about to attack directly the areas pirates come from? Cheaper, more efficient... Ah, yes! the governement of Somalia. They will protest unless they get paid for their silence and permission, of course.
A [David Foran]: Among the problems with attacking on the land is that the pirates live in and among the population. It's very difficult to identify where they are on land and even if we do so, land attacks are likely to harm innocent people.
Q [hari]: Since a majority of World trade occurs thro' this area, why is'nt a Joint taskforce of important nations constituted with a mandate to come up with a specialised anti-piracy force
A [David Foran]: have such a force. At any given time there are between twenty and thirty vessels from up to twenty nations engaged in anti-piracy patrols.
Q [delta_love]: why don't we use the advanced technology we are talking about ,in recent years, to fight the new 21th century piracy ?
A [David Foran]: We are using some of that technology, but the expanse of area we are dealing with and the small size of most pirate boats (less than 10 meters) makes detection a real challenge.
Q [Yasmin]: Is Somalia the only hiding place for these pirates?
A [David Foran]: In the past year there have been pirate attacks in many parts of the world, however the vast majority are occurring off the coast of Somalia.
Q [Hawa]: and are we sure it ´s only the Somalis or there are Arabs and ethiopians?
A [David Foran]: To date only Somalis have been captured by the forces operating in that region.
Q [EMMANUEL BONNEY]: WHAT ARE SOME THE INTERNATIONAL MEASURES PUT IN PLACE TO FIGHT THE PIRATES?
A [David Foran]: There have been a number. I have already mentioned shipper self protection and the international naval coalition. The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia has approved the creation of an international trust fund that will help regional countries prosecute suspected pirates and could fund regional capacity building. A number of the largest flag registries including Panama, Liberia, the Marshall Islands and the Bahamas signed an agreement last month to require vessels operating under their flags to employ self-protection measures. Together these countries account for more than half of the world's shipping by tonnage. The CGPCS has looked at impediments to the prosecution of pirates and is encouraging countries to change their laws if need be.
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): Mr. Foran continues to review your questions.
Q [Matt Kerr]: Does the U.S. government provide any funding for research regarding anti-piracy technologies?
A [David Foran]: Not that I am aware of.
Q [Hassen 2]: Who are the real master minds of these operations?
A [David Foran]: That's a great question. We really don't know, but it's pretty clear that the six or eight Somali youth who get on their boat and go to sea trying to capture vessels are not acting alone.
CO.NX Moderator (Tim): Here is a special Combating Piracy feature on America.gov: http://www.america.gov/piracy.html
Q [Muheed Jeeran]: what is your view about this status? while acts of piracy have continued to plague the high seas, the United States has not considered piracy a priority in some time. That changed this year when Somali pirates boarded a U.S. cargo ship, the Maersk Alabama, in April. "I don't think the United States had much interest in taking action to protect shipping until a U.S.-flagged ship was taken," Davies (professor of maritime law at Tulane University) says. "I think that changed their attitude."
A [David Foran]: I disagree with the quote. The Maersk Alabama attack occurred in April. Prior to April, working with our international partners, we established the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia which held its first two meetings in January and March. We dispatched a number of naval vessels to the region to take part in anti-piracy patrols and we were encouraging industry to self-protect. What changed after the Maersk Alabama attack was public interest in our counter-piracy efforts.
Q [guest2]: David, has anybody put up a reward/tip line for Somalis to call in suspected pirates within Somalia? Are there any incentives given to provide information on suspected pirates?
A [David Foran]: Not that I am aware of, that's an interesting idea. I will pass it along. Thanks
Q [hari]: How is the co-operation of the Somalian Government, the President & Prime Minister on this issue?
A [David Foran]: The Somali Transitional Federal Government is very supportive of international counter-piracy efforts.
Q [Mary Furnivall]: And to date, since the surge in piracy, how much has been paid out as ransom?
A [David Foran]: It's hard to tell since companies don't publicize the payment of ransom. I have seen figures ranging from $30-50 million dollars, but these are just estimates the number could be larger or smaller.
CO.NX Moderator (Mark): For information on upcoming CO.NX webchats, please visit us on Facebook at http://co-nx.state.gov
As we approach the end of our scheduled hour, Mr. Foran will try to answer as many additional questions as possible.
Q [Matt Kerr]: Do you think that laws forbidding companies from paying ransoms would be beneficial or detrimental? Do you think it would discourage pirates if they knew they could not be paid, or do you think it would encourage them to be more violent?
A [David Foran]: The US has a policy of no concessions to hostage takers, including pirates. We believe that the payment of ransom encourages pirates. Clearly, pirates are in it for the money. If companies stopped paying ransom that would be a deterrent.
Thanks for all of the great questions. I have to run. I've enjoyed chatting with you. Thanks. Dave
CO.NX Moderator (Josh): Everyone thank you for your questions. There were many questions coming in and we hope you will understand that our speaker tried to answer as many as possible.
We wish to thank Mr. David Foran for joining us for this webchat. The transcript will be available in one to two days on http://www.america.gov and on our Facebook page at http://co-nx.state.gov.
Comment [Brian]: yes thank you for answering both my questions gentleman
Comment [Muheed Jeeran]: See you
CO.NX Moderator (Josh): This webchat is now closed. Please visit us on http://www.america.gov/multimedia/askamerica.html or on our Facebook page at http://co-nx.state.gov or e-mail us at conx@state.gov.
Comment [hari]: Thank you Mr. Foran for answering the questions .... I really think you did a heckuva job
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