International Chamber of Commerce calls on governments to take action against Somalia piracy
Via the Journal of Commerce online:
According to ICC’s International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, there have been 54 attacks on vessels in Somali waters so far this year, with 12 vessels and over 240 crew members still being held hostage. These hostages are citizens of many nations, including Europe, Russia and others with coalition naval forces in the area.
The ICC said the pirates are armed with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades, and demand large sums of money as ransom for their victims.
It said their actions pose a grave threat to the global seafaring community, who are extremely vulnerable targets on the high seas and are responsible for vast amounts of expensive merchandise on board their vessels.
Piracy also seriously threatens the smooth flow of international trade. In the past year alone, there has been a ten-fold increase in insurance premiums for sending cargo shipments through the Gulf of Aden, particularly at a time when commodity and oil prices remain high and uncertain.
This comes on the heels of yet another Greek vessel hijacking on Sunday, with most of the crew being Filipinos.
The latest maritime hijacking off the African country brings to 96 the number of Filipino seafarers — on eight ships — held hostage by Somali pirates. One Filipino was killed during the hijacking of the MT Bunga Melati on August 19, when he was hit as the pirates fired warning shots.
The Captain Stephanos, flying the Bahamas flag, belongs to the ChartWorld Shipping Corporation, and was carrying a cargo of coal when seized about 250 nautical miles off Somalia.
It was the second attack on Greek shipping in less than a week.
The large number of Filipino sailors being held hostage by Somali pirates has raised alarm in the Philippines:
The Filipinos are the biggest group of sailors held captive in Somalia, officials said. More than a dozen ships with more than 200 crew members are being held for ransom.
“We’re doing everything to secure their early release,” Claro Cristobal, a foreign affairs department spokesman, told reporters, adding the department was co-ordinating with the employers and embassy staff near Somalia.
The Philippines supplies one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 180,000 men and women.
And EagleSpeak links to this report where the pirates are warning that they will kill any European captured if France does not release six pirates they captured earlier this month.
The spokesman, who calls himself Bileh, says if other European Union nations refuse to negotiate the release of his compatriots, his group will begin targeting all Europeans. He says every European hostage would be beheaded.
It is not clear whether the pirate group is in contact with European Union officials about the matter. The captured Somali pirates were transferred to Paris after French commandos mounted a raid last week to free a French couple kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Somalia on September 2.
As they continue to rack up huge sums of money by ransoming cargo and crews with little to no retaliation, their arrogance will only grow. When will enough be enough? I hope France shows some backbone in this case. Make no mistake, these pirates are criminals, murderers, operating from a corrupt and chaotic country that has no functioning government. There is no underlying reason for their behavior except that of a quick profit from a violent and criminal enterprise. No government should acquiesce to such threats and in fact should promise swift and sure retribution for any further piracy acts or threats.
Update 9-24-08: Via American Shipper, the Naval Coalition responsible for patrolling the pirate-infested waters warns that they can not guarantee vessel safety:
“The coalition does not have the resources to provide 24-hour protection for the vast number of merchant vessels in the region,” Combined Maritime Forces Commander, U.S. Vice Adm. Bill Gortney said in a statement. “The shipping companies must take measures to defend their vessels and their crews. Coalition maritime efforts will give the IMO (International Maritime Organization) time to work international efforts that will ultimately lead to a long-term solution. This is a problem that starts ashore and requires an international solution. We made this clear at the outset — our efforts cannot guarantee safety in the region.”
Comments
Subscribe to our free monthly newsletter to have the latest 3PLwire articles delivered directly to your inbox. Just enter your email below:Tell us what you're thinking...