The freedom of the seas
von Heinz Gupta
This noble principle is obviously interpreted very differently, depending on ones taste.
The pirates operating around the African coast however, understand this principle totally differently from the honest shipowners who want to bring their goods safely to their destination.
To stop the piracy Barack Obama has issued a verdict that no more ransom money should be paid to the pirates. This has led to vigorous protests from the London-based marine insurance companies and pressure being put on the British government to ignore this edict. It seems that the insurance companies would rather protect the pirates, so they can continue to collect the fat insurance premiums.
A cessation of the raids would be a bitter loss for the City of London and thus also for England, because the ransoms to be paid by the insurance companies are far lower than the cashed premiums. The costs of many countries to protect fleets do not interest the insurers. The humanitarian cover for this resistance is that, when failing to pay the ransom, the kidnapped crew would be endangered.
Thus the British government continues the policy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth I who funded from her private purse the privateer and pirate Francis Drake and ultimately ennobled him to Sir, for capturing and robbing foreign ships, mainly Spanish.
Right or wrong - my money!
Your Heinz Gupta