Gortney: Pirate attacks down, but will continue

[unhappycamper]

Suspected pirates keep their hands in the air as directed by the cruiser Vella Gulf as the VBSS team prepares to apprehend them in th Gulf of Aden on Feb. 11.


Gortney: Pirate attacks down, but will continue
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 5, 2009 18:09:34 EST

Last summer’s piracy spike tapered off following a beefed-up coalition naval presence in the area, harder-to-navigate winter seas and use of passive defensive tactics by shippers, 5th Fleet commander Vice Adm. Bill Gortney told members of Congress on Thursday.

Yet despite being able to point to recent successes, conditions ashore in Somalia remain chaotic and pirates have discovered lucrative work, which means job security for U.S. sailors bound for the Middle East.

“Piracy has been around for centuries and will be around for centuries more. It’s criminal activity at sea,” he said. “It will be episodic in the future as the tactics, techniques and procedures change on both sides.”

Gortney’s appearance on Capitol Hill comes soon after a Feb. 11 confrontation in which the cruiser Vella Gulf captured seven suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Feb. 12 capture of nine more by Vella Gulf and the destroyer Mahan.

Recent U.N. resolutions have given coalition navies more leeway to pursue suspected pirates, and an agreement with the Kenyan government provides a legal system to adjudicate captured suspects. Likewise, the Feb. 11 incident was the first capture under the new counterpiracy force, Combined Task Force 151.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/03/navy_pirates_030509w/%2e