Steps to combat hijacking of ships
The Government has taken following steps to combat the incidents of piracy of ships/vessels.
(i) The Directorate General of Shipping has issued various advisories to ships/vessels transiting through Gulf of Aden providing information relating to piracy in the area and also providing details of patrol convoy timing followed by the Indian Naval vessel patrolling in the region.
(ii)Advisories and information obtained from various international forces present in the area are regularly forwarded to the Indian shipping fraternity.
(iii)An Indian Navy warship has been deployed in the area from 23.10.2008 to escort Indian ships and other ships seeking assistance.
(iv)The Indian delegation made intervention in the 101st Council meeting of the International Maritime Organization in London in November, 2008 and proposed a UN Task Force under a unified command to prevent the ever increasing piracy attacks off the Somali coast.
Till date only one Indian seafarer is reported to have been killed by pirates and the flag state is Panama. The death and injury compensation is the responsibility of ship owners who obtain insurance cover through Protection and Indemnity Club.
Government of India has also raised the matter at various international fora including the International Maritime Organization in order to invoke the intervention of the world body to control and combat this menace.
Source:Press Information Bureau
