Dhow

 The classic dhow is a traditional Arab sailing vessel with one or more lateen sails.  It has been used for centuries to transport cargo and passengers on waters abutting the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, and the Indian subcontinent.  Prince Henry the Navigator likely based the design of the Portuguese caravel on the traditional Arab dhow.  With the development of inexpensive and reliable marine engines, the dhow has evolved.  The term now includes the larger craft, with a low house aft, utilized in the same basic trade as its predecessor.  The dhow is also used for smuggling everything from illegal migrants, to untaxed goods, to illicit drugs throughout waters of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf, and Red Sea.  Its wooden construction and low freeboard make it difficult for law enforcement to effectively monitor.  Those engaged in illegal operations easily blend in with the traditional trading vessels.  Recently, Somali pirates have begun utilizing dhows as motherships from which to launch attacks on passing merchant vessels.  With the ability to carry a crew of up to 30 individuals, plus several attack skiffs, and combined with the fuel capacity and endurance to travel more than 1,000 miles offshore, the dhow has proven to be a formidable and inexpensive piratical tool.  When the pirates are unable to acquire one through purchase or barter, they hijack one, sometimes killing the original crew.  When a hijacked dhow breaks down, it is abandoned by the pirates.  Recently, naval forces patrolling the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden have begun stopping dhows to determine whether they are engaged in legitimate trade or piracy.  Occasionally, these boarding parties have found significant quantities of illegal drugs on the dhows.  While it would be easy for the naval forces to destroy all dhows found in these waters, it must be borne in mind that the majority are engaged in legitimate activities.