VOA标准英语 Experts Assess Complex Issues Surrounding Piracy Off

The recent rescue of an American cargo¹ ship captain held hostage for five days by pirates off the coast of Somalia has heightened awareness² of the piracy³ issue throughout the world.
　
An 11 Apr 2009 French Defense⁴ Ministry⁵ photo of armed pirates and their hostages aboard French yacht "Tanit", off the coast of Somalia

The London-based International Maritime⁶ Bureau, or IMB, an organization that tracks crimes on the high seas, says the waters off Somalia, including the Gulf⁷ of Aden, are the most dangerous in the world for international shipping⁸.

The IMB says last year was the most successful ever for the pirates: 111 vessels¹⁰ were attacked in the region, 42 of them were hijacked¹¹ and 815 crew members held hostage. Analysts¹² say if current trends continue, this year will surpass last year's numbers.

Experts, such as J. Peter Pham with James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia say the waters off the Somali coast are key sea lanes that connect the Indian Ocean with the Red Sea, the Mediterranean¹³ and Europe through the Suez Canal.

"Approximately 20,000 ships every year pass through these waters, carrying about 12 percent of the world's oil and more importantly, carries about 80 percent of the commerce between Europe and the Middle East and Asia. So this is a vital artery¹⁴ in international commerce, especially at a time like the one we're in right now - with the economic downturn, any further pressures on international commerce are certainly not needed," he said.

Analysts say the Somali pirates target all sorts of vessels: from small pleasure crafts to cargo ships and even giant oil supertankers. Pham says pirates are members of armed gangs.

"Intelligence indicates that there are two primary gangs. One based in the town in Puntland, the northeast autonomous¹⁵ region of Somalia, the town of Eyl. Another gang is based in the south-central Somali town of Haraardheere. And these are the two primary gangs. There are other smaller operators," he said.

Analysts, such as retired¹⁶ U.S. Army Colonel Ralph Peters, say the Somali pirates work off so-called "mother ships", searching for potential victims.

"And when they find a likely target, they'll unload speedboats from the hold or have speedboats in tow. And the speedboats, with pirates armed with machine guns and perhaps some RPG-7 type rocket launchers, will skip over the waves and come up on the cargo ship and either threaten it or they'll throw up grappling hooks and board it the way pirates do in old movies," he said.

Experts say the pirates are not interested in the cargo or the crew - they only want ransom¹⁷ money which can reach several million dollars per vessel⁹.

Peters says the pirates are successful because the crews of the ships being attacked are not armed. He says that is due to insurance issues.

"If ships were to fight back, insurance rates would skyrocket because the insurance companies, the maritime insurers, are looking at what costs the most. And by their calculations, liability claims, actual damage to the ships or cargo might cost more than the $1 million or $2- or $3 million ransom," he said.

Peter Chalk, maritime security expert with RAND Corporation, says there's another reason why not to provide weapons to the crew.

"If you had crew members who were armed, it's almost certainly going to encourage greater lethality¹⁸ on the part of the pirates, who may be far more willing to open fire as they board a vessel, in the expectation that they could be met with crews armed with assault rifles. So it is generally thought that to preserve human life, to keep the instance of violence as low as possible, and also for legal reasons, that it's better not to arm crew members," he said.

In an effort to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia, the international community has sent navy ships to patrol the area. The task force includes vessels from the United States and the European Union. Russia, China and India have also ships in the area.

But Chalk says the area is too vast to patrol.

"Basically you've got an area now that if you take into account the wider vicinity of the southern part of the Indian Ocean, you are talking about two million square miles. So it's an enormous area to monitor. You've got an enormous amount of vessels transiting¹⁹ the region. So there's no way that the international naval²⁰ presence could provide comprehensive security to cover that expanse and all those vessels," he said.

Analysts say a naval presence alone will not eradicate²¹ piracy in the region. They say the international community must seriously address the core problem: the lack of an effective government in Somalia - a country described by many analysts as a failed state.

1 cargo   

n.(一只船或一架飞机运载的)货物

参考例句：

• The ship has a cargo of about 200 ton.这条船大约有200吨的货物。
• A lot of people discharged the cargo from a ship.许多人从船上卸下货物。

2 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

3 piracy   

n.海盗行为，剽窃，著作权侵害

参考例句：

• The government has already adopted effective measures against piracy.政府已采取有效措施惩治盗版行为。
• They made the place a notorious centre of piracy.他们把这地方变成了臭名昭著的海盗中心。

4 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

5 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

6 maritime   

adj.海的，海事的，航海的，近海的，沿海的

参考例句：

• Many maritime people are fishermen.许多居于海滨的人是渔夫。
• The temperature change in winter is less in maritime areas.冬季沿海的温差较小。

7 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

8 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

9 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

10 vessels   

n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人

参考例句：

• The river is navigable by vessels of up to 90 tons. 90 吨以下的船只可以从这条河通过。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All modern vessels of any size are fitted with radar installations. 所有现代化船只都有雷达装置。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 hijacked   

劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图）

参考例句：

• The plane was hijacked by two armed men on a flight from London to Rome. 飞机在从伦敦飞往罗马途中遭到两名持械男子劫持。
• The plane was hijacked soon after it took off. 那架飞机起飞后不久被劫持了。

12 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

13 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

14 artery   

n.干线，要道；动脉

参考例句：

• We couldn't feel the changes in the blood pressure within the artery.我们无法感觉到动脉血管内血压的变化。
• The aorta is the largest artery in the body.主动脉是人体中的最大动脉。

15 autonomous   

adj.自治的；独立的

参考例句：

• They proudly declared themselves part of a new autonomous province.他们自豪地宣布成为新自治省的一部分。
• This is a matter that comes within the jurisdiction of the autonomous region.这件事是属于自治区权限以内的事务。

16 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

17 ransom   

n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救

参考例句：

• We'd better arrange the ransom right away.我们最好马上把索取赎金的事安排好。
• The kidnappers exacted a ransom of 10000 from the family.绑架者向这家人家勒索10000英镑的赎金。

18 lethality   

n.致命性，毁坏性

参考例句：

• Modern weapons have greater range, accuracy, speed, and lethality than anything ever dreamed of before. 现代的武器比从前所梦想的任何武器射得更远，射得更准，速度更快，而且更具有杀伤力。 来自辞典例句
• The Mk 46 provides long-range lethality while engaging small, high-speed, surface targets. 该系统在舰船遭遇小型高速水面目标时将提供远距离的致命杀伤力。 来自互联网

19 transiting   

通过（transit的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• The effect of the transiting mechanic required reserve system vehicle is low. 准备金制度的传导机制的作用是很低的。
• I was busy transiting to the telescope. 我正忙着旋转望远镜。

20 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

21 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。