Tag: maritime piracy

Changing Weather Could Increase Pirate Reach

Captain Phillips - The Real Maersk Alabama Somali Pirate Story

UAE aiding the fight against pirates

Even though South Africa had the biggest economy on the African continent and carried out 98% of its trade by sea, the country did not have a single commercial shipping vessel on its ship registry, South African Maritime Safety Authority (Samsa) executive head of policy, regulatory affairs and ship registrar Samuel Nkosi lamented.

The Code of Conduct concerning the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden (Djibouti Code of Conduct) was today (6 July 2012) signed on behalf of Mozambique by His Excellency Carlos dos Santos, High Commissioner of the Republic of Mozambique in the United Kingdom.

Compliance with Best Management Practices (BMP) is recommended as the "default" position but a full risk assessment should be part of the area specific evaluations. The BUDD Group, Gard's correspondent in Togo, reported on 26 June 2012 that the Togolese government has reached an agreement with security companies for the provision of armed guards for vessels at anchorages in the port of Lome and ha

UAE , Navy chief , GCC alliance , piracy

Seychelles' vital fishing industry is starting to recover after international anti-piracy efforts and boats carrying armed guards deterred attacks by Somali pirates, Natural Resources and Industry Minister Peter Sinon said on Thursday.

Pirates hold 45 Filipino seamen War-torn Somalia, with its worsening modern-day piracy problems and the growth of Islamic terrorist group Al Shabaab in the country, remains to be a major global security threat and will continue to hold the global maritime industry hostage unless the international community helps this once prosperous African nation, said state leaders who convened in Dubai for the 2nd UAE Counter-Piracy Conference.The UAE-led conference held on June 27 to 28, 2012, brought together for the first time in 21 years the president of the transitional federal government of Somalia, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed; and Somaliland President Ahmed Mahamoud Silanyo, who signed a communiqué agreeing to formally endorse the process of talks between the two warring governments.Jose Brillantes, Philippine foreign affairs undersecretary for special and ocean concerns, meanwhile, said 45 Filipino seafarers and five ships are still held by the Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden."The threat posed by maritime piracy to global trade, and to the region's security and economic well-being, continues to be grave," said UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.UAE, which brokered the deal between TFG and Somaliland, pledged $1 million to support Somalia's maritime security-capacity-building efforts in countering the activities ...

Piracy buffets India in several ways There's been a spate of anti-piracy gatherings. The United Arab Emirates hosted its second such international conference-A Regional Response to Maritime Piracy: Enhancing Public-Private Partnerships and Strengthening Global Engagement-over 27-28 June in Dubai. A global conference in Turkey in early June preceded this. Even as that was in play, India's national security adviser Shivshankar Menon addressed a high-level global meeting in St Petersburg, Russia, that focused on anti-piracy ways and means.In several respects, piracy-specifically, piracy off the Somali coast and Gulf of Aden-has come home to India. Even as Menon delivered his address, 43 India sailors were held hostage by pirates. This is a key global shipping channel that links Asia with Europe. A little further to the east is the Persian Gulf. Nearly 90% of India's oil imports move through this zone.The danger, which Menon called "a growing industry" in his presentation, is increasingly immediate, with expansion last year of the definition of the high-risk area related to piracy. It has expanded from the 65th meridian east to the 78th meridian east, which covers the entire west coast of India; and effectively covers the sea lanes that skirt Sri Lanka. A handsome chunk ...