More Piracy Near Somalia

[Jedburgh]

CNA, 16 Jul 09: China’s Participation in Anti-Piracy Operations off the Horn of Africa: Drivers and Implications

....On March 20, 2009, CNA China Studies hosted a half-day conference to discuss China’s anti-piracy activities. Bringing together U.S. officials, analysts, and active-duty military personnel, the conference examined the reasons that piracy has become a problem in the Gulf of Aden/HoA region; the drivers for China’s unprecedented naval participation in international anti-piracy efforts; the implications that this participation has for China’s navy; and the potential implications that it has for the United States.

This report first outlines four major themes discussed throughout the conference. It then turns to a more detailed discussion of each of the conference’s three panels.....

[Stan]

This may have little to do with the current string of piracy, or does it?

Eight people have been arrested for hijacking the cargo ship Arctic Sea, Russia's defence minister says.

... the group of suspects included Russian, Estonian and Latvian nationals.

The crew reported having been boarded by up to 10 armed men as the ship sailed through the Baltic Sea, but the intruders were reported to have left the vessel on an inflatable boat after 12 hours.

[tpjkevin]

A new scheme for anti-piracy that goes beyond military measures but also tries to ensuree that shipping lines are well aware of what they can do to protect themselves.

Self-awareness and basic precautions on the part of civilian shipping do play a big part. And I think Singapore can contribute a fair amount of knowledge to this battle against piracy given our daily efforts in the Malaccan Straits.

S'pore in anti-piracy plan

It's part of international group pledging to tackle threat off Somalia

UNITED NATIONS - THE United States and four other nations, including Singapore, have signed onto an international plan to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia, committing to playing a leadership role in protecting one of the world's busiest shipping routes.

The move came as the US government warned mariners on Tuesday to expect an increase in piracy off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean due to the end of the monsoon season and counselled seamen to be prepared to defend their vessels against maritime hijackers.
The so-called 'New York Declaration' - signed on Wednesday by US Deputy Ambassador Rosemary DiCarlo and her counterparts from Britain, Cyprus, Japan and Singapore - is an attempt to pool resources and agree on the best ways of deterring the Somali pirates who prey on vessels sailing between Europe and Asia.

'We realise that the fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa region cannot be solved entirely at sea,' Ms DiCarlo said.

Other needed measures, she said, involve nations adopting legal mechanisms to prosecute suspected pirates and Somalia improving its capacity to police its own territory.

A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The Straits Times that signing the declaration was part of Singapore's 'strong commitment - as both a responsible maritime nation and a major ship registry - to the international community's efforts to combat piracy'.

Though it is a non-binding political document, proponents say it will commit ship registry nations to adopt 'best management practices' for ship security such as increased lookouts, raised ladders and emergency fire pumps readied to repel boarders.

It was first proposed in May by Panama, the Bahamas, Liberia and the Marshall Islands, four of the world's biggest ship registries. Those nations signed the declaration previously.

In Washington, Mr Andrew Shapiro, US Assistant Secretary of State for political-military affairs, told the ComDef 2009 defence policy conference on Wednesday that the document represents what Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called 'a 21st century solution to the 17th century problem' of piracy.

By signing, the US says the Coast Guard and US shipping companies will continue adopting measures that comply with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code to protect themselves against piracy.

Read the full story in Friday's edition of The Straits Times.

The Straits Times

Associated Press