The EU takes on the Pirates of Puntland

By Bjoern Seibert
18 Nov 2008

The European Union is set to launch a naval operation to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia codenamed Operation Atalanta. While piracy is a growing problem in many African states, a spike in piracy activity and the significance of the Gulf of Aden as one of the world’s most important sea lines of communication (SLOC) galvanised political will within the EU to put up a joint effort to counter piracy in Somalia. Notwithstanding earlier reservations, increased pressure by the merchant navy and public opinion to address the problem of piracy in Somalia gradually rallied European nations around the mission.[1]

While European navies have undertaken several joint operations in the past years, the operation would be the first under the auspices of the European Union.

Overview of the Operation

Increasing naval co-operation has been a key objective for European navies over the past years. Concrete steps to institutionalise such co-operation recently took on a new momentum under the French presidency of the EU, within its broader push to strengthen the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP). Not surprisingly, launching an ESDP operation to combat piracy was thus largely driven by France.

Operation Atalanta will be based on UN Security Council resolution 1838, which encourages the international community to address the piracy problem. The operation’s objective will be to conduct naval surveillance in Somali waters and protect merchant ships (including World Food Programme ships) by deterring acts of piracy, and if possible, capturing perpetrators of such acts. The EU flotilla is expected to be made of up to six ships and three fixed-wing observation aircraft.[2] The area of operation will be near the Red Sea, in the Gulf of Aden, in the Indian Ocean and in the vicinity of the Seychelles. It will be commanded by British Rear Admiral Philip Jones out of the operational headquarters (OHQ) in Northwood, United Kingdom – one of the EU’s six OHQ, which will be activated for the first time for an EU operation. The operation is to be launched by December 2008, and is planned to last one year. Operation Atalanta would replace the currently deployed three frigates – a British, Greek and Italian – of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SMG2).

Opposing Force

The pirates operating off the coast of Somalia are believed to be mainly fishermen, but reportedly also include some members of local militia groups. While accurate estimates are difficult to establish, some analysts put the number around 1,000 and rising.[3] Their motives are mainly financial as piracy has become a highly lucrative business – some reports suggest US$18–30 million were paid in ransoms in 2008 alone[4] – with declining risks, due to growing state complicity. Their modus operandi revolves around both intelligence driven, planned attacks, as well as targets of opportunity – which have recently been on the rise as pirates attack practically any vessel that comes close to their area of operations.[5] Offshore attacks are based on two-to-five small boats attached to a mother vessel. The pirates operate in small groups and are relatively lightly armed (mainly AK-47 assault rifles, machineguns and rocket propelled grenades).

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