How does the money find its way from the shipping companies to the warlords?
The payment of ransoms is often done in Nairobi, Mombasa and European capitals, London in particular. I’ve heard cases involving both bank transfers and old-style suitcases filled with cash carried by air or by sea. What’s the split? The maritime militia gets 30 percent, although the first pirate to the boat receives a double share or a vehicle. The ground militia gets 10 percent. The local community leaders, elders or local officials, also get 10 percent. The rest is divided by the sponsors and their political allies. Sounds like quite a racket. Have things become more sophisticated lately? They are starting to use decoy boats. That happened [on January 29] when the German boat Long Champ was taken. The pirates used a decoy to signal it was in trouble, and when the Long Champ answered its distress call, another boat that was hiding attacked it. Your critics say that hijackings require delicate negotiations and the publicity you bring isn’t helping matters. Why do you do it? When we st
