Live Piracy Maps
Live piracy maps (see samples above, click to enlarge) and live piracy reports are available from the ICC International Maritime Bureau, a specialised division of the International Chamber Of Commerce (ICC).
HT: Catherine Rampell at NY Times Economix blog
HT: Catherine Rampell at NY Times Economix blog
5 Comments:
haha cool its like if the pirates used twitter.
According to the map half of the piracy in the region is along the Yemani coast. Why is this? Is it because the coast of Yeman is a safe-harbor for piracy and part of the huge smuggling industry that is second in size only to oil in the Middle East? Does someone have insight into this?
gettingrational,
The ships traversing the Gulf of Aden may also be trying to avoid the Somali coast where the pirates have their base and appear to operate with tacit approval of the warlords.
There are many interesting aspects to this story. There is evidence of illegal dumping of hazardous waste including nuclear waste off the coast of Somalia. High waves during the tsunami actually washed some of these barrels up on the coast of Somalia. Some have claimed this as a "cause" for the piracy although money would seem to be a more likely incentive (ie. on average $2 million per ransomed ship).
Additionally, the country has not had a stable government since 1991and has suffered a series of major droughts leaving 1/2 the population dependent on food aid. This country really seems to exist in a state of complete chaos.
I would attribute the Aden part to the fact of higher shipping volume.
The red sea is a major shipping lane.. because ships travel from Asia and the Gulf through the suez canal. Any bigger "cape size" ships which cant fit in the canal go around Africa, this time travelling by the east coast of somalia, so hence the other cluster there.
gettingrational,
BTW, thanks for the report on China. Still have to finish reading it but it is most interesting.
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