Int'l maritime agency urges vigilance despite drop in Somali piracy

Friday, April 29, 2016

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A global maritime agency has called on foreign ships sailing through the coast of Somalia to remain vigilant amid drop in piracy attacks in the Horn of Africa region.

A report released by the International Chamber Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB)'s global piracy on Thursday said there was no piracy attack off the coast of Somalia between January to March 31 due to preventive measures deployed by the foreign warships to thwart such attacks.

"The combined efforts of the navies in the region, along with the increased hardening of vessels and best management practices (BMP4) compliance, employment of privately contracted armed security personnel (PCASP), and the stabilizing factor of the central government within Somalia has resulted in this positive sign," IMB said.

Despite in lull in piracy activity off the coast of Somalia, the global anti-piracy watchdog warned that Somali pirates still have the capability and capacity to carry out attacks.

"The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC believes that a single successful hijacking of a merchant vessel will rekindle the Somali pirates' passion to resume its piracy efforts," it said.

IMB said suspected Somali pirates continue to hold 29 crew members for ransom as at March 31. The menace of piracy in the larger Gulf of Eden that reached a crescendo five years ago triggered an international military response.

Foreign nations in the West as well as China, India and a number of countries in the Far East dispatched their naval forces to help protect ships from pirates.

Analysts say the combined military onslaught and a host of economic incentives targeting jobless Somalia youth have dealt piracy a fatal blow.

The latest report highlights growing violence off the coast of West Africa, where 44 seafarers have been captured so far this year.

With Nigeria and Ivory Coast accounting for two of the three hijackings recorded globally, and all 28 hostages, the Gulf of Guinea dominates world piracy in terms of numbers and severity.

"Reports in the last quarter indicate unacceptable violence against ships and crews in the Gulf of Guinea, particularly around Nigeria. The current increase in kidnappings is a cause for great concern," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, who has monitored world piracy since 1991.

Worldwide, IMB recorded 37 piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first quarter of 2016, down from 54 in the same period last year.

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