World Reaction Against Piracy

Somali pirates in small boats alongside the hijacked "Faina" off
the coast of Somalia. (Photo from MSNBC/AP)

Countries Push Back Against Somalia's Pirates -- MSNBC

DEAUVILLE, France - Armed pirates aboard fast-moving skiffs have increasingly turned the shipping lanes off Somalia into a lucrative hunting grounds: commandeering vessels large and small and leaving the world's maritime powers frustrated about how to stop the seafaring bandits.

Now, however, momentum is growing for coordinated international action to back up the sharp response after the stunning seizure late last month of a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with tanks and heavy weaponry — as the pirates quickly found themselves encircled by U.S. warships and receiving only silence to their demands for millions of dollars in ransom.

It could be a sign of a more aggressive and unified front in the one of the world's most important shipping lanes.

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My Comment: Even with an international fleet in the area, if the ports from where the pirates operate are not eliminated, this is a problem that will never go away.

In addition .... the cost for operating such an international fleet will increase over time, making one wonder if it will be cheaper to pay off the pirates rather than maintain a flotilla in the area.