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محتوى الصفحة: Home > مجلة النقل الدولي "Transport International" > Issue 36 - July 2009 > Piracy on the rise
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The latest figures from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) confirm a worsening trend in piracy, mainly due to the upsurge in attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia. At the time of writing, there were 17 vessels and 292 seafarers held hostage in that region.
There were 102 attacks worldwide in the first three months of 2009, compared with 53 for the same period in 2008. Seafarers increasingly risk violence in this upsurge. In the first quarter of this year, two were killed and nine sustained injuries. “Violence against crew members continued to increase,” said the IMB.
The number of attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia in this period was 61, compared with just six a year ago. However, the number of successful incidents in the Gulf of Aden had reduced from one in three in the previous quarter to one in eight between January and March 2009.
Piracy has also been continuing off Nigeria, with seven incidents and a further 13 unconfirmed reports during the first quarter of 2009. Most of these were on offshore ships connected with the oil industry, a target for insurgents in the region. Attacks of vessels at anchor off Peru rose from four to seven. Piracy has appeared to have fallen in the previous hot spots of the Malacca Straits and off Bangladesh.
Some recent incidents include:
Despite more than 25 naval ships operating in the area, primarily policing the corridor, the pirates have continually varied their tactics, using decoys, mother ships and even night attacks to be successful. The Maritime Security Centre, which coordinates the EU and US forces, believes they have decreased the pirate-boarding rate from one in three attacks to one in eight but emphasises that it is a massive area to police. It is alarming, however, that more than 30 per cent of vessels do not inform the forces, use the corridor nor take any precautions.
At the EU naval forces headquarters in Northwood (UK), a team of merchant navy officers is working with a large naval group to coordinate the response. It is clear that there is a shortage of good information coming back from the companies, flags or crew on release. In the past 15 months some 1,300 seafarers have been held and many more attacked, yet there is virtually no integrated debriefing or information being collated. The chief of staff expressed a wish to work with the ITF on this and invited us to take an active role in their work. Clearly the EU works closely with the US and Nato forces and has communications with other forces who are not policing the corridor but convoying their own flag vessels. The EU chief of staff has said that they are “flag blind” in their protection, but this might not be entirely true for others.
Worryingly, very few ships that have been captured have kidnap and ransom insurance and invariably it is the hull/engine/general insurance that pays up. This is a concern in a recession where the ship and cargo may have little value and could be abandoned, leading to long hostage periods such as the Stolt Strength (held for more than five months).
The piracy risk area off Somalia has been extended, thanks to an ITF request to the International Bargaining Forum (IBF). The IBF is the joint negotiating body that brings together maritime unions and employers. Crews on ships with IBF and ITF agreements within this area receive double pay and a doubling of death and disability compensations. If on vessels inside the zone, but outside the International Recommended Transit Corridor, they have the right to refuse to sail and to be repatriated at the employers’ expense.
The ITF is focused on raising the issues that affect seafarers. All too often, the focus is on deterring pirates from boarding and protecting the vessel, rather than protecting seafarers. This was also evident in the industry best management practice adopted at an international contact group on piracy. The ITF agreed to take the matter up at the IMO Maritime Safety Committee and has since tabled a paper addressing:
Flag states have the ultimate responsibility for their ships. When the pirates attacked a US-crewed, US flag vessel, they received a rapid and effective response from the flag state. The ITF is deeply concerned by the failure of flag of convenience (FOC) shipping to share the responsibility and cost of protecting their ships. The FOC vessels are more likely to be hijacked outside the protected transit corridor, in piracy hotspots, because naval protection is not provided for their flag. From statistics over the last year, ships with national flags are less likely to be in the high risk category and would appear to be much safer for seafarers.
The FOC system does not make any provision for the ongoing support of seafarers who may be traumatised in the hostage situation and the globalised, casualised nature of the industry also makes it harder for seafarers to access any support available after their release.
The overwhelming view from the industry, including the ITF, is that arming would only escalate and exacerbate the violence. However, at a recent industry conference, there was some acceptance that it was a flag state decision whether armed national forces could be carried. The attack on the Maersk Alabama played a big part in the discussion, particularly with respect to carrying armed personnel or arming seafarers.
The US stated that it was reviewing its options and submissions on this issue, including ones from the unions, were being considered by the US senate. Four FOC states acknowledged they were issuing licences for ships to carry armed security forces/guards. The ITF has questioned a master’s liability and the insurance position in the event of any damage to the vessel or injury to the crew.
The shipping industry needs to focus more on the needs of seafarers in hostage situations, and there is a lot of work to be done on this. Countries such as the Philippines are actively seeking ways to protect their citizens. This problem is not going away in the short term. Armed forces look like they are going to be around for a while but ultimately we should be looking for a solution and better vessel defence, preferably non-lethal. A number of measures are being discussed but it is clear that the ITF affiliates needs to open up a serious debate on the issue and engage further with the industry and naval forces.
John Bainbridge is the assistant secretary of the ITF Seafarers’ Section.
Additional reporting by Brenda Kirsch.
الصفحة الرئيسية للأقسام:
Issue 36 - July 2009
صفحات أخرى لـ Issue 36 - July 2009:
In this issue | Capitalism in crisis | Opinion: Islam and democracy are compatible | Road to success | Hard times | Against the odds | Transatlantic winning formula | Kenya dockers win HIV policy | Strengthening democracy | Saved for the nation | Signs of progress | Working life
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