Piracy never goes away. It just pops up in different places.
Somalia is quieter now, and Horseed Media is reporting that Pop Idol has restarted to give young people a chance to sing. On the same page there are reports of the President of Puntland visiting remote regions which were pirate bases but no longer host what they describe as sea gangs.
If the young men who were previously assaulting ships are now getting their kicks by belting out songs for a TV talent show, that is indeed something to sing about.
Contrast that to the West coast of Africa. The Liberian Registry has just published its report into the hijacking of the Kerala. It’s a terrifying story of a tanker crew held at gunpoint, crew stabbed and beaten, cargo offloaded off Nigeria, no action from local authorities and finally police incompetence in Angola in the aftermath.
Nothing at all to sing about, and not much prospect of action either as the West African states that are home to the pirates, most notably Nigeria, are backsliding on action to restrain regional piracy.
Presumably because too many Nigerian officials are getting fat by turning a blind eye to criminal activity in their areas.
Meanwhile you don’t have to be a pirate to steal a good read which takes you behind the scenes of modern piracy.
The Reluctant Pirate e book by John Guy goes on free promotion on Kindle today for five days. It’s a great read and gives a real human dimension to the issues around piracy.
You can download a good read for nothing, and no-one gets hurt. Now that is something to sing about.