EU Changes Tactics on Pirates, Goes Offensive

The latest news of French success against piracy is only half the story.

This is how the AFP is reporting the story.

"Three days after a French vessel thwarted an attack on a Panamanian cargo ship" the frigate Jean de Vienne conducted a "decisive action" against "two new attacks" it said in a statement.

"The 19 Somali pirates who tried to seize the two boats were intercepted," it added, saying they carried weapons, ammunition and material for boarding ships.

"They will be transferred to the Somali authorities," it added.

The French defence ministry said pirates attempted to attack a Croatian and a Panamanian ship and that French forces seized assault rifles, two rocket launchers, and more than 1,000 litres of oil.

I find these successes interesting, but check out the additional information from the official French Navy statement. There is something in there that goes beyond the simple "warship did X and captured Y" element of the event. Translation mine.

The pirates fled and were tracked by a Spanish maritime patrol aircraft. Subsequently the Spanish aircraft guided the Jean de Vienne to intercept the pirate boat. The pirate boat carried 9 Somali pirates, 5 equipped with assault rifles and one rocket launcher.

In other words, the suggestion here is that Operation Atalanta isn't just operating as a response to attacks anymore to scare the pirates off, but if a pirate attacks a ship, even if it is not successful the Europeans are now hunting down the pirate ship and taking prisoners. That is an enormous tactical change in the way anyone has been approaching pirates off Somalia to date.

That kind of proactive action could very easily create huge numbers of prisoners (noteworthy the French are turning them over to Somali authorities), but if the legal system in Somalia works (a big if), it might make a serious impact in curbing piracy over time.