November 19, 2008 1:01PM

Pirates: The New Face of Terrorism?

By Alexis Glick

It sounds bizarre right? You’re probably thinking computer piracy. But that’s not what I am talking about. I’m talking about pirates, as in, Jack Sparrow, Pirates of the Caribbean, pirates. Only these pirates are more dangerous than ever.

Somali pirates are weaking havoc on shipping lanes from the Indian Ocean to the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen. Yesterday they seized a Hong Kong registered cargo ship with 36,000 tons of wheat heading to Iran. This on the heels of hijacking a Saudi supertanker carrying $100 million worth of crude oil. This year alone they have attacked 90 vessels and successfully seized 36 containing traditional goods to chemicals. In the process they have made millions of dollars reselling these items and have now become a major risk to National Security here and abroad.

Could this method be used as a weapon on the war in terrorism? It’s a frightening thought but don’t count it out. While we know of no specific ties to terrorism, one has to ask why these Somalian pirates have such well orchestrated plans, including access to satelitte communication about cargo shipping lines. Who is going to police an area spanning 2.5 million square miles of sea? How can we prevent terrorists for using this avenue as means of attack?

General Secretary from the International Transportation Federation David Cockroft, Chuck Nash, a former U.S. Navy captain and Phil Flynn, our resident oil expert, joined me this morning to address all of the above mentioned concerns. This story is hard to believe. The ramifications are both dangerous and costly.