Over the last year you stopped hearing about Somali pirates attacking ships off the Seychelles islands. That’s because in the last year the UAE (United Arab Emirates), India and the United States have provided massive assistance to turn the Seychelles Coast Guard into a force that can quickly spot pirates and neutralize (capture or kill) them.
For example, last year India sent a Dornier 228 maritime reconnaissance aircraft to the Seychelles where it will serve at least two years. Two years ago India offered to give Seychelles a Dornier 228 and two Chetak helicopters for anti-piracy duty, but tiny Seychelles preferred that India simply operate this equipment on their territory until the Somali piracy threat is gone. India has already sent a naval patrol boat and one Chetak helicopter to the Seychelles to help with anti-piracy patrol. Indian warships are also coming by more frequently.
The UAE provided $15 million to build a new naval base for the coast guard and doubled the number of ships by sending two 30 meter (91 foot) patrol boats and three smaller speed boats. The 30 meter boats, although armed only with machine-guns, are fast enough and have sufficient firepower to handle any pirates they encounter. Last year there were several such bloody encounters and the Somali pirates decided that the Seychelles were no longer good hunting grounds.
The Seychelles islands have a total population of 85,000 and no military power to speak of. They were largely defenseless against pirates. So were many of the ships moving north and south off the East Coast of Africa. Four years ago, Somali pirates began operating as far east as the Seychelles, which are a group of 115 islands 1,500 kilometers from the east African coast. India led the effort to upgrade Seychelles defenses because the Somali pirates are a threat to Indian shipping and the Seychelles are a neighbor it wants to remain on good terms with.
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Source: Strategy Page
