The Gulf of Aden, named for the seaport of Aden in southern Yemen, is a sea lane of strategic
significance.
Located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen on the south coast of the Arabian Peninsula and
Somalia in the Horn of Africa, the Gulf of Aden is part of the important Suez Canal shipping
route between the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean.
The Gulf is roughly 900 kilometers long; its width varies.
Littoral states of the Gulf are Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan
and Yemen.
It is estimated that the Gulf of Aden is used by approximately 22,000 vessels annually,
carrying around 8% of the world’s trade, including more than 12% of the total volume
of oil transported by sea.
Hence, it forms an essential oil transport route between Europe and the Far East.
During the Greek conquests to Persia and the Indian subcontinent, the Gulf was discovered
as a convenient route to access these regions.
The area was included in the Erythraean Sea along with the Gulf of Tadjoura and the Red
Sea.
Several small islands within the Gulf still bear colloquial versions of the Greek names
given to them.
Conquerors such as Darius of Persia and Alexander the Great of Macedonia sailed this route,
and maps from their era mentioned the Gulf as an extension of the Erythraean Sea.
The geography of the Gulf of Aden differs from the surrounding topography in certain
aspects.
The average depth of the Gulf of Aden is around 500 meters, while the deepest point is 5.5
kilometers at the Alula Fartak Trench.
In today’s episode, we want to discuss why the Gulf of Aden is dangerous.
The Gulf of Aden is known as a hotbed for piracy, despite being a busy and thriving
trade route for vessels across the globe, not all regions of the Gulf of Aden are safe
or easily accessible.
Piracy has been a major concern for nations that send ships via this route since the 2000s,
and it is only recently that there has been a significant decline in these occurrences.
Piracy has mainly originated from Somalia and affects the Gulf of Aden, the Guardafui
Channel, the islands near Socotra, and the Somali Sea.
Post the 2000 collapse of the Somalian government, there were cases of rampant illegal fishing
by foreign vessels.
Without the protection of their territorial waters by the disbanded Somalian Navy, coastal
villages took to arms to keep their areas protected.
These groups, using small boats, would sometimes hold vessels and crew for ransom.
This grew into a lucrative trade, with large ransom payments.
The pirates then began hijacking commercial vessels.
With the region badly affected by poverty and government corruption, there was little
political motivation at the local level to deal with the crisis.
Large numbers of unemployed Somali youth began to see it as a means of supporting their families.
However, this turned into a lucrative venture, with ransoms bringing in enormous amounts
of wealth into the nation.
Very soon, this region became a hotbed for piracy and hijackings.
Over time, the level of technology and planning with which these hijackings have taken place
has been a cause for concern.
International organizations began to express concern over the new wave of piracy due to
its high cost to global trade and the incentive to profiteer by insurance companies and others.
Some believe that elements within Somalia collaborate with the pirates as a bulwark
against others and for financial gain.
In the late 2000s, anti-piracy coalition known as Combined Task Force 150, including 33 nations,
established a Maritime Security Patrol Area in the Gulf of Aden.
By 2010, these patrols were paying off, with a steady drop in the number of incidents.
By November 2017, there were no major vessels or hostages remaining in pirate captivity.
Earlier in 2017, a few incidents of piracy were reported as the navies of Asian and European
nations began to more actively rescue hijacked ships, including the bulk carrier OS35.
Now let's have a look at the pirates profile.
Most of the pirates are young.
An official list issued in 2010 by the Somali government of 40 apprehended pirate suspects
noted that 80% were born in Somalia's southern conflict zones, while only 20% came from the
more stable northern regions.
As of 2012, the pirates primarily operated from the Galmudug region in the central section
of the country.
In previous years, they largely ventured to sea from ports located in the northeastern
province of Puntland until the regional administration launched a major anti-piracy campaign and
operation and established a maritime police force (PMPF).
According to a 2008 BBC report, the pirates can be divided into three main categories:
• The first one is local fishermen, considered the brains of the pirates' operations due
to their skill and knowledge of the sea.
• Secondly is Ex-militiamen, who previously fought for the local clan warlords, or ex-military
from the former Barre government used as the muscle.
• And the third one is technical experts, who operate equipment such as GPS devices.
The closest Somali term for 'pirate' is burcad badeed, which means "ocean robber".
However, the pirates themselves prefer to be called badaadinta badah or "saviours of
the sea" (or often translated as "coast guard").
For the record, Somali pirates have attacked hundreds of vessels in the Arabian Sea and
Indian Ocean region, though most attacks do not result in a successful hijacking.
In 2008, there were 111 attacks which included 42 successful hijackings.
However, this is only a fraction of the up to 30,000 merchant vessels which pass through
that area.
The rate of attacks in January and February 2009 was about 10 times higher than during
the same period in 2008 and "there have been almost daily attacks in March", with 79 attacks,
21 successful, by mid-April.
Most of these attacks occurred in the Gulf of Aden but subsequently the pirates increased
their range and started attacking ships as far south as off the coast of Kenya in the
Indian Ocean.
Some significant hijackings in the region include the murder of a Chinese sailor in
the late 2000s because ransom demands were not met.
This led to the United Nations adopting a resolution that allowed and authorized nations
that sailed in the region to collaborate and “repress acts of piracy”.
This was over and beyond the absolute embargo on Somalia.
By late 2008, the hijackings began to spread outside the Gulf of Aden and encompassed larger
vessels.
The Indian Navy received UN authorization to conduct anti-piracy operations freely in
the region.
In addition, the Maersk Alabama also was hijacked by 4 Somali pirates, which led to a stand-off
with the United States Naval forces.
Ultimately, the vessel was freed and the captain taken hostage was released.
This hijacking of a large vessel that was carrying relief aid to Somalia created public
awareness of the dangers of sailing to the region.
Thereafter, international efforts against piracy rapidly increased, with more successful
operations by naval forces.
Russian Special Forces freed an oil tanker in 2010, the Navy SEALs of Korea rescued a
Maltese chemical carrier, and the Indian Navy captured multiple pirate motherships over
the years.
After a lull of almost 5 years, the Aris 13 Tanker was hijacked en route to Mogadishu
from Djibouti in 2017.
The hijacking occurred off the Somali coast, and the crew were released a few days later.
Over the past several years, CTF-150 has captured, arrested, and handed over countless pirates
to the Somali coast guard.
Large caches of weapons and drugs have also been seized during smuggling operations.
Under UN laws, the Force has permission to execute a Visit, Board, Search, and Seize
(VBSS) operation in order to maintain maritime peace in the area.