SA may benefit from pirates
2008-11-18 08:14
Oslo - Norwegian shipping company Odfjell said on Monday it would no longer sail through the pirate-plagued Gulf of Aden, choosing instead the longer, more expensive but also safer route around Cape of Good Hope.
"We will no longer expose our crew to the risk of being hijacked and held for ransom by pirates in the Gulf of Aden," Odfjell chief executive Terje Storeng said in a statement.
He said the decision to send all Odfjell ships around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope instead of through the waters off Somalia would take effect immediately.
"We trust our customers will appreciate this decision which we have taken to safeguard not only our crews and ships, but also the ships' cargo," Storeng said.
More expensive
"The re-routing will entail extra sailing days and later cargo deliveries. This will incur significant extra cost, but we expect our customers' support and contribution" to cover the costs, he added.
In an interview broadcast on the TV2 News channel, Storeng said it was difficult to say how much changing the shipping route would cost Odfjell, but said it would likely add six to 12 days to the average trip.
According to its website, Odfjell's fleet counts 92 ships that are mainly used for transporting chemicals and other liquids, and that sail routes between the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East and South America.
None of the company's ships have recently been targeted by pirates, but according to the International Maritime Bureau, at least 83 vessels have been attacked off Somalia since January, double the 2007 number.
Super oil tanker seized
In the latest and arguably largest pirate attack to-date, a Saudi-owned large crude carrier, Sirius Star, carrying 25 crew members from Croatia, Britain, Philippines, Poland and Saudi Arabia, was seized
off the east coast of Africa, according to the US Navy.
"Odfjell is frustrated by the fact that governments and authorities in general seem to take a limited interest in this very serious problem," Storeng said in the statement.
Nato warships, along with ships and aircraft from several other nations have been deployed in the region to protect commercial shipping.
Storeng, however, insisted that "the efforts that are being made do not seem to put an effective end to what can best be described as ruthless, high-level organised crime".
Odfjell would consider sending its ships through the Gulf of Aden again once "sufficient protection is in place or action taken to prevent attacks from pirates in this area," he said.