Is Sea Piracy A Mask For Rogue Security & Lawlessness at Sea?

A New York Times article 'Murder At Sea: Captured On Video, But Killers Go Free' by Ian Urbina, discloses a graphic video of four unarmed men being gunned down in the water. Despite dozens of witnesses, the killings went unreported and remain a mystery.

Readers comments in the article positively reflect the passionate journalism and dedication to bring this to the public domain.

K.Brian McConaghy from Canada says "Hats off to Ian Urbina for undertaking this difficult research. And to the NY Times for the willingness to pursue such a time consuming and thus expensive endeavor."

Memph from Brooklyn says "...remarkable, important reporting."

Solarglide have kindly been given permission to publish an excerpt from the article with a link to the full story. Although the full article contains graphic images, we highly recommended this article should be read.

Please click here to read the article in its entirety.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/world/middleeast/murder-at-sea-captured-on-video-but-killers-go-free.html?_r=0

The oceans, plied by more ships than ever before, are also more armed and dangerous than any time since World War II, naval historians say. Thousands of seamen every year are victims of violence, with hundreds killed, according to maritime security officials, insurers and naval researchers. Last year in three regions alone — the western Indian Ocean, Southeast Asia and the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa — more than 5,200 seafarers were attacked by pirates and robbers and more than 500 were taken hostage, a database built by The New York Times shows.

Many merchant vessels hired private security starting in 2008 as pirates began operating across larger expanses of the ocean, outstripping governments’ policing capacities. Guns and guards at sea are now so ubiquitous that a niche industry of floating armories has emerged. The vessels — part storage depot, part bunkhouse — are positioned in high-risk areas of international waters and house hundreds of assault rifles, small arms and ammunition. Guards on board wait, sometimes for months in decrepit conditions, for their next deployment.

Though pirate attacks on large container ships, like that depicted in the film “Captain Phillips,” have dropped sharply over the past several years, other forms of violence remain pervasive."