The success rate of pirates operating off the coast of Somalia will fall to below 20 percent this year, from 63 percent in 2007.
The success rate of pirates operating off the coast of Somalia will fall to below 20 percent this year, from 63 percent in 2007, in part due to defensive measures cargo ships are taking, the United Nations said.
The decrease in success is attributable to the additional defensive measures put in place by merchant ships, their more cautious navigational routes, and effective naval operations, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a report to the Security Council.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which runs one of three naval operations in the region, has told cargo ships to improve their vigilance and, if approached, run at full speed and use evasive maneuvers and fire hoses to repel pirates.
The pirates concentrate on the Gulf of Aden, a chokepoint leading to the Suez Canal thats used by 30,000 ships a year carrying about a 10th of world trade.
Attacks have spread to the Indian Ocean, as much as 1,000 miles from shore.
Naval operations, including participation of more than 30 nations, may be expanded by ships from four Indian Ocean island nations and the French territory of Reunion, Comoros Foreign Minister Fahmi Said Ibrahim El Maceli said on July 26. Comoros, Mauritius, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Reunion are negotiating formation of the force, which would be financed by the European Union, he said.
Higher Rates
The Indian Ocean nations want to create their own naval force because of the threat posed to their economies. Insurers are charging higher rates for commercial ships that transport goods to Comoros and its neighbors, and this creates financial hardships for local populations, Maceli said.
Ban said in his report that there were 30 attacks by pirates in the region during the first three months of 2010. He also said their methods have become increasingly sophisticated.
The pirates now use mother ships to tow smaller vessels out to sea, global positioning satellite equipment and heavier weapons, including rocket-propelled grenades, he said.
The 30 attacks in the first quarter of 2010 projects to a year total of 120, compared to 217 in 2009.
Ban, at the request of the UN Security Council, outlined seven options for prosecuting pirates. He suggested enhancing the capacity of the high-security courtroom opened in Kenya last month, and six proposals for establishing regional or international courts.
The secretary-general didnt indicate a preference for any one of the options.
Somalia is in its 19th year of civil war and hasnt had a functioning central administration since the overthrow of former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre in 1991.
Source: shiptalk