Monday, November 12, 2012
By: CHRIS MGIDU
NAIROBI (Xinhua) -- EU’s counter piracy mission (EU NAVFOR) off the coast of Somalia has warned of threat of piracy which it said still remains a threat despite attacks having declined off the Horn of Africa in the past year.
EU NAVFOR’s Operation Commander Rear Admiral Potts warned yachting and leisure craft community to avoid transiting the High Risk Area - the southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and the Western part of the Indian Ocean.
"We are currently witnessing a tactical, yet wholly reversible success in the reduction of pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa and we very much welcome the shipping community’s efforts to protect merchant ships transiting the area with the implementation of self-protection measures to deter attacks," Potts said in a statement received on Thursday.
Somali pirates are still holding some (no more than 10) foreign vessels for ransom with 160 crew members as hostages onboard by the end of September as the number of ships signaling attacks by Somali pirates has fallen to its lowest since 2009.
A report from the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said 21 kidnapped crew members are being held on land and more than 20 hostages have now been held for over 30 months.
"Its good news that hijackings are down, but there can be no room for complacency: these waters are still extremely high-risk and the naval presence must be maintained," Captain Pottengal Mukundan, IMB Director, said on Oct. 22.
Demanding millions of dollars in ransom for captured ships and their crews, Somali pirates had late last year intensified operations not just off their own coastline, but further afield in the Red Sea – particularly during the monsoon season in the wider Indian Ocean.
Tankers carrying Middle East oil through the Suez Canal must pass first through the Gulf of Aden.
According to maritime officials, about four per cent of the world’s daily oil supply is shipped through the gulf.
Before the capture of Kismayo by Kenyan soldiers, the Horn of Africa nation’s coastline was considered one of the world’s most dangerous stretches of water because of piracy.
According to Potts, about 12 yachts have been attacked, with their crews captured or killed by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean in the past few years.
Nearly every recorded attack on a yacht has led to the crew being taken hostage and moved to Somalia, with extreme violence and mock executions being the norm.
On average, maritime hostages have been held for over seven months, however, some are held for much longer, with huge ransoms being demanded for release.
"Counter-piracy forces also continue to maintain pressure on Somali pirates by disrupting their activities at sea.
"That said, it cannot be stressed enough the significant danger that pleasure craft owners will put themselves in if they choose to transit the high risk sea area where pirates are known to operate," Potts said.
The EU anti-piracy mission said it was concerned with the continuing impact of piracy and armed robbery at sea off the coast of Somalia on international maritime security and on the economic activities and security of countries in the region.
The attacks are being carried out by increasingly well- coordinated Somali gangs armed with automatic weapons and rocket- propelled grenades, maritime officials said.
The drop in Somali piracy has brought global figures for piracy and armed robbery at sea down to 233 incidents this year – the lowest third quarter total since 2008, according to IMB.
According to IMB, a membership organization that has monitored world piracy since 1991, in the first nine months of 2012, there were 70 Somali attacks compared with 199 for the corresponding period in 2011.
Shipping companies have also been forced to hire private security companies to enhance the security of their vehicles, a fact that however has increased the cost of doing business.
Consumers in eastern and central Africa region have also been affected by the piracy as the cost of insurance went up because of highlighted risks, forcing importers to transfer the high insurance cost consumers.
The three task forces reinforced the call for maintenance of high security alert and investment saying that even with all the military presence in the Indian Ocean, the efforts of naval forces cannot guarantee safety in the region.
IMB recommends all ship operators to use the anti-piracy guiding booklet known as the Best Management Practices version 4 (BMP4) that provides useful updates for masters in implementing protection measures to deter piracy that is based on lessons learned from ships’ masters.