Dozens of warships from navies around the world patrol the waters off Somalia, yet still the number of hijackings rises. The international effort to combat piracy involves many navies operating in separate alliances, working with different rules of engagement in poorly coordinated operations. As governments fail, private security companies move to fill the void.

One such company, US-based Phoenix Intelligence Support, initiated a private sector conference in Cairo this week to discuss what it calls "real solutions" to the piracy threat. Speaking on phone from Cairo, Phoenix managing director William Fielding said so far a group of companies operating almost 1,000 ships have expressed interest in his protection services.
 

"The ideal situation would be to never have a pirate come on board a ship at all," Mr Fielding said. "We are looking at the most humane ways to deter anyone from getting on board the ship, but we need to be true to our customers as well."

Mr Fielding said his company plans to install teams on board vessels, armed with high pressure hoses, long range acoustical devices and, as a last resort, conventional weaponry. The company also intends to employ airplanes to spot pirates at sea.

"We want our philosophy to be, just keep them off board the ship the gentlest way possible."

Moral high ground
Private security companies have been a controversial phenomenon since their involvement in Iraq. Private companies are not subject to civilian control the way a conventional military is, and have been accused of trigger-happy rules of engagement.

One company already operating an armed ship in Somalia is Blackwater, infamous for its role providing private security in Iraq and in particlular one 2007 incident in which 17 civilians were killed in Baghdad's Nisoor Square.

Mr Fielding argues the private sector can thwart pirates in a simple and cost-effective manner, while navies lack the resources to patrol enough ocean.

But the potential for deadly mistakes is high. This week, for example, two Yemeni fishermen were killed by a missile fired by an international anti-piracy patrol in the Red Sea, according to Yemen's state news agency Saba.

"While some suspected the missile was an air strike, sources at Yemen's navy said it probably came from sea by one of (the) warships conducting anti-piracy patrols in the region," Saba said.

It's clear even the navies are struggling to identify who is and isn't a pirate.

Rob Hunnego, chairman of the Dutch Royal Association of Marine Officers, agrees that navies are struggling to intercept pirates, but says private security is an undesirable alternative. Without democratic control over the behaviour of armed forces, the use of violence lacks legitimacy, Mr Hunnego said.

"Our rules of engagement are strong enough, but I think that's the price we have to pay if we want to attack pirates, or even terrorists - we have to maintain a moral high ground and make sure that the way we act is beyond disapproval from international law."

Mr Hunnego dismissed the notion that companies would save money by hiring private security.

"One thing is sure - the private companies don't come cheap either."

Big business
Andrew Mwangura holds a unique position in the world of Somali piracy. From the Mombasa office of his small NGO for seafarer's safety, Mwangura negotiates between pirates, Somali clans and the multinational companies whose ships are seized. He does not consider private contractors a solution.

"We think that will bring more trouble in these waters. We want the private security companies to stay away and let the military do what is right."

Mr Mwangura sees private security contractors as yet another leech profiting from conflict in Somalia. He says said the finances involved in piracy far exceeds the ransom figures reported in the media. There are ransom delivery costs, negotiation fees, lawyer fees, and increasingly, the cost of security.

"Piracy in Somalia is big business. Everyone wants to make money out of this, including the private security companies."

Root cause
The debate over private security versus military intervention is misguided, said Mr Mwangura. Ever since Somali piracy gained international attention, analysts have pointed to poverty and lawlessness in Somalia as the underlying cause. Yet all Mwangura hears is debate over what military tactic to pursue.

"The solution is not military." Conflict in Africa, Mr Mwangura said, is often tied to the illegal extraction of its natural resources: diamonds in Liberia, cotton in the Congo, and in Somalia, fish.

"The root cause is poverty, and the cause of poverty is illegal fishing, toxic dumping, and years of bad rains."

Mr Mwangura rattled off by memory five United Nations resolutions to address piracy in Somalia. None have mentioned the root cause, he said.

"We find it a contradiction because we have about more than 25 warships from all over the world in Somalia, but none of them has arrested fishing vessels fishing illegally in Somali waters."