Piracy acts in the
Gulf of Aden had resulted in an intensification of security in this region.
For the last few months, successful attacks on vessels are running out of steam and the risk-reward balance could be tipping back in favour of the ship-owners.
However, in this economic context, anti-piracy operations may not seems to be such an urgent priority for governments struggling to bail out their own economies.Without a strong naval presence in this region, all efforts can be lost.
The hope is that a sustainable solution will be in place, with capacity-building projects on land, regional support and involvement from the United Nations to long-term support for
Somalia, but this can take a long time.
Until we do, it is likely that both governments and pirates will keep a close eye on the risk-reward balance and keep asking themselves what they can get away with.
