Somali pirates have seriously harmed world economy: Iranian admiral

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

The commander of the Iranian Navy

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KISH ISLAND – The commander of the Iranian Navy said on Tuesday that Somali pirates have inflicted an estimated damage of more than $7 billon on the world economy, highlighting the importance of Iran’s campaign against piracy in international waters.

Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari made the remarks in a speech to the 20th conference of the country’s maritime organizations on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf.

“The damage caused by Somali pirates to the maritime industry has been 1,090 hostages, and the financial damage has been estimated to be about 7 to 12 billion dollars,” he said.

Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century. Since 2005, many international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the World Food Program, have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy. Piracy has impeded the delivery of shipments and increased shipping expenses, costing an estimated £10 billion a year in global trade.

Sayyari also said that the United States provoked civil war in Somalia, adding, “Internal conflict, illegal fishing in Somali waters, and dumping nuclear waste by certain countries have caused unemployment and insecurity on the coasts of this country.”

Elsewhere in his remarks, the Navy commander criticized extra-regional powers for taking advantage of the phenomenon of piracy to maintain their presence in the region and said that Iranian naval forces regularly go on maritime patrols and ensure the security of shipping routes and tankers.

Over the past years, the Iranian Navy has been spearheading an ongoing campaign against piracy in international waters. And Iranian naval forces have frequently been dispatched to the open seas, including the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and the north of the Indian Ocean, and have saved many Iranian and foreign ships from pirate attacks.

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