Obviously no one in Somalia could stop us if we wanted to pull off a rescue mission. Early last year we knew the exact positions of two or three Taiwanese and Korean fishing vessels whose crews were being held hostage by pirates. When we (enlisted types) asked why we couldn't do anything, we were told basically that because Somalia was such lawless country it was all the more important that someone (like CTF 150) recognize they had some sort of sovereignty. Otherwise, any other nation in the region could use our actions as an excuse to do what they wanted in Somalia.
Thanks.
Cutting the corner here to save some gas seems really dumb. The history of muslims in little boats attacking under crewed commercial vessels is extensive. Now the ship owners have lost their investment ( unless they had a big insurance policy ).