MARITIME historian Lincoln Paine, author of “The Sea and Civilization,” maintains that the world’s maritime history began when the sail was invented, when people could go farther and faster than their own bodies could take them. People with a sense of adventure had the means to explore unknown territories.
Shipping continues to be the lifeblood of the global economy. It is responsible for around 90 percent of world trade. It is the dominant mode of international transport for traded goods and constitutes the backbone of global supply chains.
In an interview, Paine states that even with aviation and the internet keeping us connected, maritime history still holds an important place in our world.
“There are two things to keep in mind,” he explains. “One is that 80 to 90 percent of world trade — by volume — is carried by ships, and 95 to 99 percent of all internet traffic is carried between continents by undersea cables. Internet cables follow the telegraph cables, and the telephone cables follow the telegraph cables that were laid down along the routes ships took between ports of their day. So, we live in a deeply, profoundly, maritime world.
“We just don’t realize it, because we have lost sight of it, thanks to logistics … We don’t see the people who are involved in shipping or even the actual evidence of the ships themselves. But that does not mean that maritime trade is not important; it just means that we don’t know about it.”
However, along with the growth in maritime traffic, the world of shipping also has to deal with pirates. Piracy has existed since 14th century BC when ships were attacked regularly in Egypt and North Africa, playing a significant role in geopolitical power.
In the modern era, piracy has largely been used as a form of terrorism in regions of political and economic stability.
For this reason, the Djibouti Code of Conduct (DCoC) was adopted in 2009 to strengthen regional capacity for fighting piracy and armed robbery at sea. The 2017 Jeddah Amendment expanded its scope to include other maritime security threats, such as smuggling, marine pollution and human trafficking.
During the High-Level Meeting on the Implementation of the DCoC/JA in Dar es Salaam last Nov. 28-30, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez noted that thanks to the combined efforts of member states, incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region have significantly declined since 2012. Be that as it may, we cannot afford to be complacent.
“We must be ready to respond to other maritime security threats, including illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing, human trafficking and smuggling, marine pollution, wildlife trafficking and crude oil theft. New and emerging threats are evolving, such as cyberattacks against ships and maritime business, and the targeting of vital coastal installations using drones and mines. It is worth mentioning that seven thematic subgroups were established recently under the Code to respond to some of these maritime security threats.”
The secretary-general added that “Geopolitical tensions since late 2023, with conflict-related attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area, highlight the critical role of the DCoC forum in bringing States together to ensure freedom of navigation and protection of seafarers, cargoes and ships, to maintain global supply chains.”
The meeting was attended by representatives from more than 20 member states, including EU Ambassador to Tanzania Christine Grau and Danish Ambassador to Somalia Steen Andersen, focused on piracy and strengthening maritime security.
Dominguez stressed the need to safeguard seafarers, emphasizing their essential role in maintaining global trade and humanitarian supply chains.
“Without hard-working men and women, many from the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden region, the essential flow of goods, services, market access and humanitarian efforts would cease,” he said.
Dominguez warned that “these attacks pose a serious risk to the safety of seafarers, the stability of maritime trade and regional security.” These have led to delays, port closures and increased insurance costs, which in turn raise food prices. It is clear how these attacks affect all of us, not just those who are directly in the line of fire, so to speak.
He urged sustained regional cooperation to prevent a resurgence of piracy crises. During the meeting, it was also stressed that tackling piracy involves addressing other maritime crimes. Dominguez called for stronger collective efforts to ensure the stability of maritime corridors.
Cooperation and collective efforts will take us further than individual or separate actions can. Herman Melville, whose naval service widened his worldview and enriched his major works, knew this: “We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men; and among those fibers, as sympathetic threads, our actions run as causes, and they come back to us as effects.”
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