Twenty warships from 14 nations have converged on the Indian Ocean to do battle with Somali pirates. But one country is notably absent from the counter-piracy coalition. That’s Kenya, ironically the nation suffering the most from sea banditry.
In December, Kenyan General Jeremiah Kianga staged a dramatic press conference, with fighter jets as a backdrop, and announced to “would-be pirates that they risked being sunk” by Kenyan vessels. But Kenyan maritime officials were skeptical, saying the nation’s forces were not “armed in modern ways.”
A Kenyan patrol boat, pictured, sortied from Mombasa this week to escort the MV Faina into port after that vessel was released from pirate captivity. But one short foray by a single small boat does not an effective naval force represent.
Just how bad is the situation? The Nairobi Chronicle explains:
Over the years, the navy has failed Kenyan fishermen by not protecting the country’s territorial waters from illegal fishing. It is a well known fact that fishing vessels from as far away as China, Japan and Europe sail within view of the beach and engage in wanton looting of scarce fish. … Throughout the years, none of the foreign trawlers has been caught by the navy for violating Kenyan law.
It is also a fact that the coast is a major conduit for drug trafficking. International gangs take advantage of un-patrolled seas to smuggle drugs from waiting ships, with no distraction from Kenyan authorities. The Kenyan navy [has] yet to apprehend a single narcotics smuggler. …
Meanwhile, a ship ordered for the navy is rotting away at a Spanish court after the Kenyan government and its contractor got into a payment dispute. The KNS Jasiri, which cost over 4.1 billion shillings ($52 million), is docked at the port of Ribadeo as the dispute drags. By the time the case is decided, the vessel may no longer be seaworthy.
Such is the sorry state of our maritime defenses.
There’s some good news. The U.S. Navy is sending a frigate to Mombasa to help train up Kenyan sailors. That won’t do anything to remedy the navy’s material condition, but a injection of pride and professionalism is a big first step towards building a Kenyan navy that can play a meaningful role in combating piracy.
(Photo: Daily Nation)
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[...] Related: Coast Guard: Prosecuting Pirates an “Excruciating Process” Skewz: On the Trail of Pirates C-SPAN: Somali Piracy Overview Kenyan navy sits out pirate fight Coasties and Marines join Navy pirate-fighters Inside the Navy’s prison ship Video: pirates hijack help World mobilizes to fight pirates Why robots can’t fight pirates Navy’s new “soft” pirate-fighters Pirate-fighting ship’s big problems Japan, South Korea team up to fight pirates Establishing a Somali coast guard? Coast Guard’s tips for beating pirates U.S. Navy Coordinates Counter-Piracy Fleets Pirates Not Just the Stuff of Legends How Pirates Get Paid Axe vs. Pirates: Convoy! Axe vs. Pirates: “I Fear No One but God.” Chinese Seafarers Kick Pirate Ass Kenyan Navy Fires Rhetorical Broadside against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Everyday Kenyans Suffering Effects of Somali Piracy Axe vs. Pirates: The Kenya Connection Piracy Threatens Somalia Aid Effort Axe vs. Pirates: The Panic Button Axe vs. Pirates: Scared onto Land by Pirate Close Call Somali Piracy Puts Squeeze on Kenyans Mombasa Looks Like This E.U. Deploying Vessel against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Welcome to Mombasa No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]
[...] (Photo: me) Related: Video: Kennedy Mwale’s Big (Pirate) Adventure Who Watches the (Pirate) Watchers? U.S. Navy Uses “Smart Power” to Fight Pirates Exclusive Video: MV Faina Released by Pirates Coast Guard: Prosecuting Pirates an “Excruciating Process” Skewz: On the Trail of Pirates C-SPAN: Somali Piracy Overview Kenyan navy sits out pirate fight Coasties and Marines join Navy pirate-fighters Inside the Navy’s prison ship Video: pirates hijack help World mobilizes to fight pirates Why robots can’t fight pirates Navy’s new “soft” pirate-fighters Pirate-fighting ship’s big problems Japan, South Korea team up to fight pirates Establishing a Somali coast guard? Coast Guard’s tips for beating pirates U.S. Navy Coordinates Counter-Piracy Fleets Pirates Not Just the Stuff of Legends How Pirates Get Paid Axe vs. Pirates: Convoy! Axe vs. Pirates: “I Fear No One but God.” Chinese Seafarers Kick Pirate Ass Kenyan Navy Fires Rhetorical Broadside against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Everyday Kenyans Suffering Effects of Somali Piracy Axe vs. Pirates: The Kenya Connection Piracy Threatens Somalia Aid Effort Axe vs. Pirates: The Panic Button Axe vs. Pirates: Scared onto Land by Pirate Close Call Somali Piracy Puts Squeeze on Kenyans Mombasa Looks Like This E.U. Deploying Vessel against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Welcome to Mombasa No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI Leave a comment Line and paragraph breaks automatic, e-mail address never displayed, HTML allowed: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong> [...]
[...] In December, Kenyan officials told me they needed foreign assistance to prepare the Kenyan military for fighting pirates. A couple months later, the U.S. Navy answered their call. The USS Robert G. Bradley, a Perry-class frigate, visited Mozambique, Tanzania and Kenya to help train up native security forces in counter-piracy tactics, pictured. Bradley’s deployment fell under the rubric of the Navy’s Africa Partnership Station, a rotating deployment of naval forces to deliver training and humanitariad aid to African allies. [...]
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[...] Related: Esquire.com: Five Pirated Crews who Didn’t Fare as Well as the Americans Pirates Seize Ship with U.S. Crew Wired.co.uk: Beating Somali Pirates at Their Own Game Piracy War Escalates: Korean Seafarer Shot in Attack Video: How the Littoral Combat Ship Will Fight Pirates Offiziere.ch: Pirate Attacks Decline, but for How Long? Proceedings: Defeating Somali Pirates on Land Video: Kennedy Mwale’s Big (Pirate) Adventure Who Watches the (Pirate) Watchers? U.S. Navy Uses “Smart Power” to Fight Pirates Exclusive Video: MV Faina Released by Pirates Coast Guard: Prosecuting Pirates an “Excruciating Process” Skewz: On the Trail of Pirates C-SPAN: Somali Piracy Overview Kenyan navy sits out pirate fight Coasties and Marines join Navy pirate-fighters Inside the Navy’s prison ship Video: pirates hijack help World mobilizes to fight pirates Why robots can’t fight pirates Navy’s new “soft” pirate-fighters Pirate-fighting ship’s big problems Japan, South Korea team up to fight pirates Establishing a Somali coast guard? Coast Guard’s tips for beating pirates U.S. Navy Coordinates Counter-Piracy Fleets Pirates Not Just the Stuff of Legends How Pirates Get Paid Axe vs. Pirates: Convoy! Axe vs. Pirates: “I Fear No One but God.” Chinese Seafarers Kick Pirate Ass Kenyan Navy Fires Rhetorical Broadside against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Everyday Kenyans Suffering Effects of Somali Piracy Axe vs. Pirates: The Kenya Connection Piracy Threatens Somalia Aid Effort Axe vs. Pirates: The Panic Button Axe vs. Pirates: Scared onto Land by Pirate Close Call Somali Piracy Puts Squeeze on Kenyans Mombasa Looks Like This E.U. Deploying Vessel against Pirates Axe vs. Pirates: Welcome to Mombasa 2 Comments so far Leave a comment [...]