Wednesday 15, Jan 2025 {HMC} Attacks remain well below 2011 peak but China’s vast maritime interests in the waters off Somalia could be targeted, observers say
The hijacking of a Chinese-owned fishing vessel with up to 18 people on board in the waters off Somalia in November raised concerns about the return of piracy to the Gulf of Aden, where China has vast maritime interests.
Those concerns were once again at the fore on Monday, when China announced through its embassy in Mogadishu that the boat and its crew had finally been released after the unremitting efforts of the Chinese government.
According to the embassy, the vessel was placed under the illegal control of an armed group in the waters off the coast of Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia’s northeast, and taken to its Xaafuun district.
The embassy strongly condemned the “vicious action which threatened the safety of the crew and international navigation security”.
It did not say whether money was paid to the group, which initially demanded US$10 million in ransom and was reported to have turned down offers of US$300,000 and US$1 million.
Paul Nantulya, a China specialist at the National Defence University’s Africa Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington, said that if a ransom was paid to release the vessel it would not have been out of the ordinary.
According to Nantulya, there have been incidents where ransoms were paid, including a case in 2021 when the Nigerian military was able to free a Chinese vessel and its crew after US$300,000 was handed over to the kidnappers.
“More generally, Chinese nationals and firms are now increasingly being viewed as prime targets of such crimes because they are now associated with wealth and financial assets,” he said.
Nantulya said this was a change from the late 1990s, when China and Chinese nationals were not associated with financial influence. At that time, most kidnapping targets were Americans in particular, followed by Europeans in general, he added.
The latest incident was termed an “armed robbery at sea” by the European Union Naval Force Operation Atalanta, which said that none of the crew members were injured and the vessel was in transit to safe waters.
But observers said the case could indicate that the pirates of Puntland had returned. While last year’s attacks numbered the highest since 2012, they were in the tens – a far cry from the peak of 212 recorded by Atalanta in 2011.
The pirates that prowl the Horn of Africa from Somalia’s coastline – the continent’s longest – prey largely on foreign fishing interests, which include a strong Chinese presence. There are also security threats from the terrorist group al-Shabab.
Nantulya said the latest incident came at a sensitive time, with the 45th PLA Escort Task Group on its way to the Gulf of Aden to continue China’s anti-piracy missions, which have been running since 2008.
According to Nantulya, the missions – which are likely to extend to the Gulf of Guinea – do a lot more than anti-piracy work, including the protection of sea lanes and going to the aid of Chinese fishing fleets, which are operating in both gulfs.
He said the PLA task groups were also used for military exercises and to provide support for Chinese peacekeeping contingents, as well as surveillance, intelligence collection, and testing Chinese expeditionary capabilities. “All told, China will continue to encounter security incidents.”
Media in Somalia reported that the release of the ship and its crew followed negotiations between a local representative of the vessel and traditional elders representing the hijackers.
On January 8, the Chinese ambassador to Somalia, Wang Yu, met Puntland regional president Said Abdullahi Deni in the northern Somali city of Bosaso. According to the embassy, the two sides exchanged views on “issues of mutual interest”.
To secure the release of the ship and its crew, the embassy said that it also maintained close consultation and coordination with the federal government of Somalia, raising concerns over the security of its citizens and investments because of insurgency.
“The Somali side reiterated that it attaches great importance to the Chinese side’s concern on security and safety,” the embassy said.
Guled Ahmed, a non-resident scholar at the Middle East Institute who is from Mogadishu, said that while China continued its anti-piracy patrols to protect its commercial vessels, some Chinese trawlers were fishing illegally along Somalia’s coast.
According to Ahmed, the Chinese ships are operating within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) using expired fishing licences obtained from the Puntland government, which has severed its ties with Mogadishu.
With President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud’s government yet to issue new licences because of a stand-off over fees, Chinese fishing interests in Somalia were caught in a state of uncertainty, Ahmed said.
Under the previous administration, China benefited from nearly unrestricted access to the fishing grounds, paying only US$30,000 per licence, he said. An audit by the new government determined that between US$90,000 and US$120,000 would be more appropriate.
“Complicating matters further are corrupt intermediaries linked to the government, who aim to control the licensing process, making it even more difficult for the Chinese to strike a deal with Somalia,” Ahmed added.
China imports mostly aquatic products, as well as molluscs, insect resins and minerals such as copper ore and precious stones from Somalia. In return, Mogadishu imports finished products such as woven fabrics, coated flat-rolled iron, electronics, construction equipment, furniture and rubber tyres.
SOURCE
By Jevans Nyabiage
