|
|
International ship owners and
a union representing seamen appealed to the
United Nations to take urgent steps to combat
piracy in Somali waters.
The shipping associations’ Round Table called
for “real and immediate action against brazen
acts of piracy, kidnapping and armed robbery,
carried out with increasing frequency against
ships in the Gulf of Aden, by pirates based in
Somalia”.
On Thursday, Somali pirates seized a Greek-owned
bulk carrier and a Hong Kong cargo vessel,
bringing to 55 the number of ships that have
been attacked off the coast of Somalia and in
the Gulf of Aden this year, according to the
International Maritime Bureau’s anti-piracy
office in Kuala Lumpur.
“The solution, the industry stresses, is for
more nations to commit naval vessels in the area
and, crucially, for them to engage effectively,
actively and forcefully against any act of
piracy, and to intercept and bring to justice
the criminals in order to re-establish safety
and security to one the world’s most
strategically important seaways,” the Round
Table said.
The Round Table call was signed by the shipping
association Bimco, dry-cargo association
Intercargo, the International Chamber of
Shipping/International Shipping Federation,
tanker association Intertanko, and the
International Transport Workers’ Federation.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy recently called
for a global effort to combat piracy after
French naval commandos freed a couple held by
Somali pirates who had seized their yacht. |
