Piracy in the Caribbean
The era of piracy in the Caribbean began in the 1500s and phased out in the 1830s after the navies of the nations of Western Europe and North America with colonies in the Caribbean began hunting and prosecuting pirates. The period during which pirates were most successful was from the 1650s to the 1730s. Piracy flourished in the Caribbean because of the existence of pirate seaports such as Port Royal in Jamaica,[1] Tortuga in Haiti, and Nassau in the Bahamas.[2] Piracy in the Caribbean was part of a larger historical phenomenon of piracy, as it existed close to major trade and exploration routes in almost all the five oceans.[3][4][5]
For the franchise, including the series of films, see Pirates of the Caribbean.Slave pirates[edit]
Many slaves, primarily from places in Africa, were being exported to colonies in the Caribbean for slave labour on plantations. Out of the people that were forced into slavery and shipped off to colonies in the years from 1673 to 1798, approximately 9 to 32 percent were children (this number only considers the exports of British slavers).[38] While on the average 12-week journey to the colonies, the new slaves endured ghastly living conditions that included cramped spaces too small to stand up in, hot temperatures, and poor diets. They were ravaged by disease and death. Many of those taken as slaves were victims or prisoners of civil war.[26] Many aspects of being a slave overall increased the allure of the pirating lifestyle. During the 17th and 18th centuries, piracy was at its height and its symbolic interpretation of freedom was well received. This abstract ideal was very appealing to slaves and victims of imperialism. Even though the main European powers did not want slaves to find out about the freedom that piracy offered, "...30 percent of the 5000 or more pirates who were active between 1715 and 1725 were of African heritage".[39] Along with the opportunity of a new life and freedom, the indigenous people of Africa were greeted with equality when they joined pirating communities. Many slaves turned pirate "secured" a position of leadership or prestige on pirating vessels, like that of Captain.[39] The pirate Black Caesar, who served onboard the Queen Anne's Revenge under Blackbeard, was one of the best known slave pirates during the Golden Age of Piracy, being mentioned in the 1724 work A General History of the Pyrates.[40]
Caribbean piracy in the 21st century[edit]
Piracy in the Caribbean is still present today, largely confined to small-scale pirating operations in the waters off of Venezuela, Trinidad, Guyana, and Suriname. These pirates are often fishermen who have resorted to piracy due to economic crisis or turf wars between groups of fishers.
Much of the modern-day piracy in the southern Caribbean is a result of the economic upheaval in Venezuela. Venezuelan fishermen, who previously made a living off of catching tuna, shrimp, crab, and octopus, have lost this means of money due to the economic crisis, and are forced to resort to piracy on fishermen off the coasts of Guyana and Trinidad, robbing them and holding them for ransom.[44][45]
Another major source of modern Caribbean piracy stems from turf wars between rival groups of fishermen from Guyana and Suriname. In April 2018, Guyanese nationals Chris Parsram, Rameshwar Roopnarine, Madre Kishore, David Williams, Ramdeo Persaud, Ray Torres, and Ganesh Beeharry were all arrested in Suriname and sentenced to 35 years in prison, for an attack on 20 Surinamese and Guyanese fishermen in which they were thrown overboard; only four made it to shore, with the rest being thrown into the water and presumed either dead or missing.[46] The attack was believed to be in retaliation for the shooting death of their leader a few weeks prior.
On April 4, 2024, the Panama-flagged MSC Magalie was attacked in the Caribbean[47] by two Haitian gangs: 5 Seconds and Taliban. (Unrelated to the Afghan Taliban.) The Magalie was captured by the armed gangs in the Varreux fuel terminal at Port-Au-Prince. All aboard were taken hostage,[48] and a sixth of the cargo, consisting entirely of rice (the primary staple food of Haiti), was stolen. On April 7, the Haitian National Police stormed the seized freighter and engaged in a five-hour gun battle with the gangs,[49] in which two police officers were injured and several of the two gang's members turned pirate were killed.[47] The ship, owned by U.S. shipping company Claude and Magalie,[48][50] was recovered by the Haitian police force.[49] The fate of the crew and any other seafarers aboard the Magalie, who were all taken hostage, remained unknown.[48]