Chinmaya P, School of Legal Studies, CMR University
ABSTRACT
In the recent past, maritime transport has become the core element of the world economy and any disturbance in world shipping can create more or less serious problems for the world economy, especially when there exist various world crises. The issue of maritime piracy pops up every few years, especially with the modernization of boats and weapons. The piracy activities have borne evidence that shipping safety in the Gulf of Aden and waters around Somalia should be considered as an international problem. The Attacks against ships that are sailing off the coast of Somalia have garnered international attention and has highlighted the existing piracy concerns and the same has been brought to the attention of the UN Security Council. The issue of Piracy has brought with it various issues and problems which also act as obstacles to the global community in the recent century and the same is especially witnessed in Somalia. There are complex reasons for the existence of Somali piracy, which makes it harder to provide safety of shipping in this region without a wide spectrum of action and international cooperation. The paper attempts to discuss the roots of piracy in Somalia, the development of these activities, and to provide an analysis on the effectiveness of the legal framework used to address the problem and steps that can be taken by the international community to provide safety and secure shipping in this region. The same would be done by attempting to analyze reports from international bodies such as the United Nations, International Criminal Court, as well as other relevant resources.
