Piracy And Terrorism: The Relationship Between Piracy And Crimes

LINKAGES BETWEEN MARITIME PIRACY AND TERRORISM

Author: Aditi Chatterjee*

MOTIVATIONS

Maritime piracy and terrorism have often been used interchangeably and there exists an on-going debate about their definition and legal meaning. The 1958 Geneva Convention on High Seas defines piracy as, “any illegal act of violence, detention or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed on the high seas against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State.” Maritime terrorism on the other hand is defined as “any illegal act directed against ships, their passengers, cargo or crew, or against sea ports with the intent of directly or indirectly influencing a government or group of individuals.” These definitions highlight the motivational difference between the two. Pirates are often motivated by private ends attained through financial gains whereas maritime terrorists are politically motivated and they aim to influence the government through threat of violence at high seas. In the case of pirates the financial gain does not necessarily have to be substantial and the pirate group also does not have to be robust. Peter Chalk divided piracy into three categories: - one where pirates commit low-level crimes and take cash and personal belongings, two where medium level attacks are committed by more organized and better armed pirates in territorial waters or on the high seas and violent robbery occurs, and the third category involves high-level assaults like hijacking of ships, on-board cargo and crew members. Terrorism experts are of the opinion t...

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...erative to continue combined international efforts to tackle maritime piracy and terrorism and spread Maritime Domain Awareness. Therefore, adding interagency and international partner counterparts for key leader engagement with regional law enforcement and judicial authorities is an important ingredient in order to have the right legal authorities in place for combating piracy and terrorism on land and sea. Fight against maritime terrorism and piracy is a global endeavour which requires global cooperation and resolve.

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(*The author is a Research Associate at the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi.The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Indian Navy or National Maritime Foundation. She can be reached at [e-mail].)