Frustration is mounting at the inability of the global community to prevent rampant piracy from spreading in several parts of the world, notably Somalia.
On Tuesday last week the Chamber of Shipping of America hit out at what it called the seeming impotence of the international community over the situation in the Indian Ocean.
“The unacceptable situation prevailing now, with seafarers lives being threatened on a daily basis – and Somali pirates still operating with impunity – cannot be allowed to continue by the nations of the world,” said Joseph J Cox, president of the chamber. “There is a growing concern among the national ship owner associations that the international community is not actively seeking to eliminate piracy and is instead treating the current level of attacks against shipping as somehow ‘tolerable.’”
He said it was particularly upsetting when the main focus of some senior politicians both in the US and abroad appeared to be limited to commenting on their objections to the payment of ransoms or… “even worse suggesting that payments are or should be illegal.”
The Chamber said the protection of shipping from piracy – regardless of flag or nationality of the crew is a clear and legitimate responsibility for governments under the traditional law of the sea, which is codified in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“Traditionally, a primary role of navies has always been to protect merchant shipping and to keep sea lanes open to trade. It is extraordinary that governments today seem less able to protect shipping than they were almost 200 years ago,” said Cox.
Meanwhile, the Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSA) and UK-based International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) have issued an urgent appeal to governments to stamp out piracy off Somalia and in the Indian Ocean.
In their statement they accused many governments of being oblivious to the fact that ships carry around 90 per cent of world trade, and that security of major seaways is strategically vital to the functioning of the global economy.
“There is growing concern that the international community is instead treating the current level of attacks against shipping as somehow ‘tolerable,’” said the HKSA.
“Pirates are being given a message that their criminal activity carries very few risks in comparison to the payments. As a result, the number of pirates is growing, and there is real danger that, in the absence of a firm response, their methods of hijack and violent kidnapping will be successfully emulated by others elsewhere."
ICS chairman Spyros Polemis said the unacceptable situation, with seafarers lives being threatened and Somali pirates operating with impunity, cannot be allowed to continue.
“If a similar number of aircraft passengers had been taken hostage there would undoubtedly have been a more robust response,” he said.
The two organisations complained that little is being done to prevent the pirates from operating from their bases in Somalia, or to disable their ‘mother ships’ that are used to launch attacks up to one thousand miles from the Somali coast. – HKSG and American Shipper
APPROPRIATE’ WORDS DESCRIBING CRIMINAL/ANTI-SHIPPING ACTIVITIES
In order to promote consistent use of accurate terms of reference, the following are adopted to describe the range of criminal anti-shipping activity and impediments to safe navigation in our worldwide reporting and analysis.
BOARDING – Unauthorized presence on the ship whether in port or underway.
Robbery – Theft from a vessel or from persons aboard the vessel.
KIDNAP – Unauthorized forcible removal of persons belonging to the vessel from it.
HIJACK – Unauthorized seizure and retention of a vessel by persons not part of its complement.
FIRING UPON – Weapons discharged at or toward a vessel.
ATTEMPTED BOARDING – Close approach or hull-to-hull contact with report that boarding
paraphernalia were employed or visible in the approaching boat.
SUSPICIOUS APPROACH – All other unexplained close proximity of an unknown vessel.
BLOCKING – Hampering safe navigation, docking, or undocking of a vessel as a means of protest.
Please note that these terms relate to observable activity and are independent of target vessel status and exclude actions by governmental authorities in lawful pursuit of their authority
Source: IMB
Discussion about this post