Warships needed to halt pirates

2008-09-19 18:02

London - The world's naval powers must commit more warships to patrol the commercially strategic Gulf of Aden to counter rising levels of piracy off the coast of Somalia, some top global shipping groups urged on Thursday.

"The shipping industry's plea is in response to a situation which it describes as in danger of spiralling completely and irretrievably out of control," the bodies, which include leading ship associations and transport unions, said.

The vital sealane in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia links the Gulf and Asia to Europe and beyond via the Suez Canal and is critical to Gulf oil shipments.

In a joint statement the groups said urgent calls had been made to the United Nations in New York and the UN's maritime body in London for effective naval forces to be deployed.

They called for more countries to commit warships in the region and to allow them to engage forcefully to safeguard one of the world's most strategically important waterways.

Some countries do periodically have naval craft in the region, but they are often constrained from active roles by their rules of engagement.

The urgent plea to act came as it emerged pirates from Somalia hijacked two more ships this week, the Hong Kong-owned Great Creation and Greek ship, the Centauri.

The trade bodies, which include the International Chamber of Shipping, Intercargo, Bimco and oil tanker group Intertanko noted some shipping firms were already refusing to transit the Gulf of Aden.

"Continued inaction against these violent acts could prompt ship-owners to redirect their ships via the Cape of Good Hope, with severe consequences for international trade, including increased prices for delivered goods," they said.

Pirates are attacking shipping, including fully-laden oil tankers and gas carriers, almost everyday, some with rocket-propelled grenades, they said.

The groups said nearly 40 hijackings had taken place in the Gulf of Aden alone this year with 133 kidnapped crew and 10 ships being held.

The London-based International Maritime Bureau estimates that over 1 200 Somalis and at least six major gangs are involved in the attacks.

- Reuters