Ransom has gone up to $ 5 million per person.
In a show of unity, 19 countries decided on a consortium approach to combat pirates on high seas by stepping up maritime security in the Indian Ocean, a region utilized by 70 per cent of the oil-liners to ship crude oil to ports across the world.
The Council of Ministers of the Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC) released a communiqué saying, “We have committed to cooperate fully through sharing of information and technical assistance to jointly combat this (piracy) menace.”
Pointing out that the menace of piracy had assumed alarming proportions in recent years, the ‘Bengaluru communiqué’ said increasing cases of piracy off the Horn of Africa posed a threat to international and regional navigation, maritime commerce and safety of sea farers. “In this regard, we support the international efforts at the United Nations, initiatives at the regional level and the contact group on piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which is coordinating anti-piracy efforts,” it said.
The meeting also agreed on the association serving as an effective forum vehicle for sharing information, experience and best practices to combat piracy on the high seas in the region. Australian foreign minister Kevin Rudd, who took over as vice-chair of the 15 year-old organization, said around 185 ships were attacked by pirates during the last nine months on the high seas in the region.
“Of the 27 ships that were captured, 18 are still in the control of the pirates, which is increasing the cost of maritime security as the combined ransom has gone up to $ 5 million per person.” In order to enhance the prospects of the blue economy in the region, the meeting underscored the importance of increasing cooperation among the members, including in management and sustainable harvesting of fish stocks and combating illegal fishing.
“Fisheries and marine resources occupy important place in the economies and livelihood of the member countries. The association’s fisheries support unit, set up under the aegis of Oman, will function as a nodal institution to respond to the interests and requirement of member states,” the communiqué said.
External affairs minister S.M. Krishna, who assumed the responsibility of leading the organization, mooted functional relationships between navies and coast guards to ward off attacks by pirates. “Our port and customs authorities, as well as our shipping firms have to address issues of transport infrastructure and connectivity that hinder trade,” he added. Mr Krishna also spoke of the need to catalyze flow of investments in the region.
“Our intra-regional investment flows are modest, though many of our economies are important destinations for foreign direct investment from our side the region,” the minister added.
Source: Deccan Chronicle
