Impact of Maritime Piracy On the Health and Safety of Seafarers: An Analysis of Incidents From 2006-2010

In this paper, I focus on the impact of the problem of piracy on the health and safety of the global seafarers using the narrative incidents reported to the International Maritime Bureau by the different shipping companies and to the Philippine government (biggest maritime labour-supplying country of the world) by the manning agencies. The data of incidents of piracy covers five years from 2006-2010. Interview with maritime authorities and other bodies that have interest in piracy and other secondary data were also analyzed for this study. Maritime piracy especially in the Gulf of Aden in Somalia has been escalating for the past decades. The increasing maritime traffic in the area, the continued instability of the country of Somalia, the security situation in the region, and the lucrative business of maritime piracy has emboldened pirates in furthering their actions. The increasing monetary demands of the pirates, the link between the pirates and rebel groups, and the giving in of the shipping and insurance companies to provide ransoms allowed more investment on the better firepower, ammunitions and fast and good seacrafts of the Somalian pirates. The inability of the international community and military forces to implement sound interventions and prosecute pirates contribute to the increasing problem.  The study is limited on the aspect of health, safety and welfare problems that arise before, during and after piracy. A set of recommendations for different stakeholders is provided by the study.