Last week I covered the first Somalian pirate crime on the high seas to happen in 2017. Since then, the ship, known as "Aris 13," and its crew have been recovered and all eight Sri Lankan workers plus the ship were returned without a firefight or casualty. In what some would call an unlikely turn of events, the release of the ship and its crew is credited to the Puntland State of Somalia. The Puntland state of Somalia is an autonomous state in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garoowe in the Nugal province. The captain, Nicholas Anthony of the Aris 13, did not give any direct information on how the Puntland state secured his and his workers' release but he thanked them for saving his life.

The ship itself was recovered by local navy personnel who retrieved it after an agreement by elders and regional Somalian authorities was reached with the pirates involved. According to the pirates, they did not want to take any ransom for the passengers or the ship, instead, they wanted to send a signal to large-scale fishing boats and companies in the area to stay away from their locals coastline and food supply.

As I covered last week, Somalia is currently experiencing the largest famine on record in the nation's history and with large-scale fishing boats on the country's coast, it has greatly threatened the lives of many Somalian fishermen. Due to this large famine, more and more Somalians are driven to desperate measures to ensure their survival. I find it hard to blame them for wanting to protect their local food supplies, especially in a time where food is so scarce. Sadly, I think this will have the opposite effect; we all know companies value their bottom line over the well-being of villagers half way across the world. I can only predict that naval activity will be increased in Somalian waters just like a few years ago when Somalian piracy was more commonplace.

However, on an uplifting note, it does seem like a kind of creed or code is beginning to form in Somalian piracy. Instead of a monetary focus, the new goals seem more honorable. While I am sure this will not apply to all Somalian pirates there is a good chance this could take place as a cultural identity at least for this point in time. I would like to see retired Somalian pirates who now are fisherman use their old skills to protect the food supply of their nation instead of abusing helpless merchant ships. While pirates are mostly criminals this could be changed, all the swashbuckling heroes of pirate legends could live on in the modern era through a group of independent fisherman just wanting to protect their homeland.