With the case of MV Iceberg proving problematic, ship owners are warned against paying ransoms
Shipping firms must stop giving in to pirates and handing over ransoms if they want to stamp out hijackings along the Somali coastline, claims a top defence adviser.
Rear Admiral Chris Parry, a senior strategic and military adviser, told 7DAYS during a visit to Dubai that he blamed vessel owners for the increasing acts of piracy in Somalia, as many insist on sailors using the Gulf of Aden because it is a cheaper and quicker route.
“In a bid to minimise costs and maximise profits, a number of ships are taking the risk by using routes that are prone to piracy. Safer routes such as the Cape of Good Hope are considered costly and time consuming,” said Parry, a former British naval officer. Parry said ship owners have a responsibility to protect their crew, vessels and cargo and must look at ways to prevent hijackings – paying a ransom should be a last resort, he said.
“Ransom payments are the key factor in the escalation of acts of piracy along the Somali coast,” added Parry.
“By refusing to pay ransoms to the hijackers, it will become unattractive for Somalis who have come to see piracy as a fruitful industry.” He said the US government was already discouraging boat bosses from paying ransoms and insisted others should follow suit.
The UAE-owned ship MV Iceberg 1, which was hijacked 19 months ago, is a troubling example of where paying up can become even more problematic. The hijackers had initially demanded $4 million for the release of the vessel and its sailors. A number of organisations clubbed together to pay the ransom, but the ship and its crew are still being held and the latest reports suggest that the hijackers are now demanding $8 million.
Parry, who was the first chairman of the UK Government’s Marine Management Organisation, explained that one of the major difficulties with tackling piracy is that the crooks are being supported by a large network that involved money handlers and weapons suppliers, making it difficult to penetrate the gangs.
He added that confusion in the interpretation of international laws on how to deal with hijackings in Somalia has delayed a global response to the problem. “No one is in charge and this makes it difficult to penetrate the networks under which the pirates operate. Even where some individuals are suspected, it is hard to obtain any evidence that links them to the pirates,” Parry said.
He suggested that the international community should help the current Somali government increase its jurisdiction over the entire territory and put pressure on the country to give its people more job opportunities to lure them away from criminal activities.
Source: 7 Days
