This week, five Somali pirates were handed a life sentence in prison for their role in a brazen attack on a Navy warship that the pirates mistook for a merchant ship. The five have also been sentenced to serve consecutive sentences of 80 years in prison in addition to the life sentence.
The attack occurred on the first of April 2010. The gang of pirates assaulted the USS Nicholas, mistaking it for a merchant vessel. The assault took place under cover of night, and unfortunately for the pirates, this turned out to be not a merchant ship, but a well-equipped US Navy warship. The pirates in the stiff were arrested, and two others in another boat nearby, were also arrested. They were then taken to Norfolk, Virginia, where they were convicted on the 4th of November. They had been charged with piracy, attacking to plunder a vessel and committing an act of violence against persons on a vessel.
The sentence comes after the death of four Americans on a private yacht after their vessel was taken over by pirates in the Arabian Sea. The four were killed soon after. As maritime attorneys, we have intensified our demand for stronger action against pirate gangs who have now expanded their scope of operations to cover most shipping routes. While naval patrols seem to have had some effect in deterring piracy in the Horn of Africa, piracy in other parts of the world including the Arabian Sea and other alternate shipping routes, has actually increased. Pilots must not only be arrested, but also subjected to a swift, merciless and speedy justice, so that it can serve as a deterrent to other pirate gangs.
