AMO Currents - Piracy on international agenda as MARAD, Navy warn mariners of renewed threat

AMO Currents - Posted: September 15, 2009

Piracy on international agenda as MARAD, Navy warn mariners of renewed threat

The Maritime Administration has advised mariners and ship operators that piracy is likely to increase off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean as the monsoon season draws to a close. The MARAD advisory urges mariners to avoid high-risk areas whenever possible, maintain maximum speed, maneuver aggressively if under attack and adopt “defensive precautions” prior to entering high-threat areas.

The MARAD advisory states: ships must “demonstrate a willingness to defend” themselves. The Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), which leads an anti-piracy naval patrol in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin, Indian Ocean and Red Sea, in a recent press release cited statistics showing that 88 hijacking attempts have been thwarted by evasive maneuvers this year.

“In this environment, the importance of merchant mariners as first line defenders against pirates is absolutely vital,” said Commodore Tim Lowe, CMF deputy commander. “The crews of those merchant vessels that have employed evasive maneuvering and other defensive measures to protect their ships and their cargoes have proven to be more successful at evading attack, and providing time for military assets to assist.” The CMF reiterated the need for increased vigilance as the weather off the coast of Africa calms.

Also last week, the governments of the United States, Japan, Cyprus, Singapore and the United Kingdom signed the New York Declaration, a commitment to best practices to avoid, deter or delay acts of privacy. Among other provisions, the declaration acknowledged that “all vessels, including those on [the signatory countries’ registers], have an important role in taking self protection measures to reduce the risk of acts of piracy.”

American Maritime Officers and other maritime industry interests continue to press Congress to require the government to provide embarked military security teams for certain U.S.-flagged merchant vessels.

The MARAD advisory is available online, as is the Combined Maritime Forces press release.