First off is the disruption of trade that the threat of trade represents. The cargo ship was captured in international waters in the Indian Ocean before it was brought to the Somali coast. A report by Chatham House has stated that Somali piracy has more than doubled this year, with more than 60 ships having been attacked and somewhere around $20-$30 million being paid in ransom. The pirates in the area, which includes the maajor sea artery in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen, have become more aggressive. This increased aggression threatens to disrupt a very important line of trade which services around 20,000 ships a year heading to and from the Suez Canal.

The legality of the trade being conducted is also in doubt. There has been an arrest of a Kenyan official of the Seafarers Assistance Programme who may have vital information about the ship. Officials in Kenya deny that the ship was heading there and instead contend that the weapons onboard were most likely destined for Sudan. This represents a problem because they were headed for a semi-autonomous region of Southern Sudan, which may be seeking to undo the peace accord reached in the region.

Finally, there have been various responses to the actions taken by these pirates. The American Navy has begun a blockade of the water around the ship, with support from the Russian government. Both countries are attempting to exert thier influence on an international scene, with Americans and Russians seeing eye to eye on a situation for the first time in a long time. Meanwhile, the EU has promised to establish an Anti-Piracy Security Operation (APSO). This is a massive show of co-operation and force in an attempt to protect international trade.