'We just want the money." That is the honest sentiment of the pirates who hijacked a Ukrainian freighter loaded with weapons off the coast of Somalia. Were it so simple. What was intended to be the mere "ransoming" of a ship has become an international standoff between oceangoing bandits and the world's most modern navies, exposing the lawlessness in Somalia and perhaps even uncovering illegal arms trafficking. No matter what the purpose of the hijacking, it has focused international attention on a situation that cannot continue.
The waters off the coast of Somalia, south of the mouth of the Red Sea, are among the world's most dangerous. Some 20,000 ships navigate the area yearly as they pass to and from the Suez Canal.
More than 60 ships have been attacked by pirates so far in 2008, more than twice as many as the year before. Insurance premiums for ships transiting these waters have already increased tenfold, and that has escalated the problem. Pirates know of the insurance and know that crews will not put up a fight: After all, it is only about money and no one needs to get hurt.