Sisters resident speaks on modern piracy

Sisters Kiwanis is part of an international service organization committed to enhancing communities. Occasionally, Kiwanis has a guest speaker with information of such interest that the programs are thrown open to the community. Last week, one such presentation discussed the growing problem of modern piracy on the high seas.

David Hiller is a local naval architect and marine engineer with personal experience in the field of piracy. No, he's not a pirate, himself; but he has been on board ships that were boarded by pirates. At the beginning of his video presentation, he flashed a photo of actor Johnny Depp in full cinematic pirate regalia and noted that Depp's pirate portrayal is hardly the face of piracy in today's world.

Hiller explained that today's pirates are the product of collapsed social structures in various parts of the world.

"The whole pirate situation worldwide...it's all criminal activity, but it's often a socio-economic situation," he told a group of more than 50 rapt listeners at the Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire Hall Community Room last week.

"The international community will not be able to stem the growing problem of piracy because it has no practical plan beyond existing naval patrols, air oversight and intervention," he said. "There are people with no food, no access to education, and no medical facilities, but they do have AK-47s (automatic rifles), RPGs (rocket propelled grenades), determination, and nothing to lose."

Hiller focused on commercial piracy but acknowledged that piracy of private vessels is also a problem. He explained that, not too long ago, most incidents of commercial piracy involved clandestine boardings, usually at night, when pirates would break open shipping containers, steal high value contents, and be gone before anyone knew they were on board.

The concept of holding entire ships and crews for ransom is a more recent innovation. According to Hiller, the tactic has proved so successful that Somalian pirates have collected hundreds of millions of dollars in ransoms in recent years. In fact, some pirates now lead such lavish lifestyles that they must hire bodyguards to protect their new lifestyles and wealth.

Somalia is located on the horn of Africa; and in 2009 over 42 percent of the world's reported incidents of piracy occurred in the Gulf of Aden, off the north coast of Somalia. Because of the pressure brought to bear on Somalian pirates by the international community, however, pirates have been forced to carry out attacks farther out to sea in the Indian Ocean. The effect has been to greatly increase, by thousands of square miles, the theater to be defended by seafaring nations. Further, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) estimates that only about half the actual number of pirate incidents are reported.

Hiller pointed out that piracy occurs everywhere in the world, but the vast majority occurs either near Somalia or in the Straits of Malacca, between the Malay Peninsula and Indonesia - a region with an even longer piratical history. A third area, in the Philippines, is also home to a continuing piracy threat.

Hiller, a graduate of the U.S. Maritime Academy at Kings Point, New York, also has a Masters degree in Naval Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley. He sailed worldwide for more than 30 years and now operates a naval architecture and marine engineering consulting business in Sisters. He notes that, even with increased military intervention, piracy has been on the increase in recent years.

On the issue of military intervention, Hiller reported the U.S. Navy's development of two new classes of Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). The two LCS versions are both in the 400-foot range, but are substantially different. These new ships are designed for atypical, closer-to-shore combat work and can be rapidly reconfigured for specific mission requirements. The adaptability of these ships may prove very useful in anti-piracy missions.

The first LCS, from Lockheed Martin, was completed in 2008; and the second LCS, from General Dynamics, was delivered in 2009 and scheduled to be deployed this year, although not specifically designated for anti-piracy missions. A decision is expected later this year on which of the two designs is best suited for the Navy's needs, and future contracts will be awarded on that basis.

Hiller sees value in a strong military stance against piracy but believes that piracy must ultimately be addressed on a more fundamental level in Somalia and Southeast Asia. For example, he says that the current United Nations-backed government in Somalia is too busy fighting an Islamist insurgency to be able to patrol for pirates, let alone build a social infrastructure. As a result, Somalians continue to languish in poverty, joblessness, and hopelessness.

"To see change," he says, "the international community needs to win over the hearts and minds of Somalis with the offer of economic change, access to employment, education, medical care, and the certain knowledge that piracy will be a fatal endeavor."