Piracy

Following publishing our article about IMO member Sarosh Zaiwalla's suggestion for a UN Naval Task Force, the ISRR reached out to Mr. Zaiwalla to express our support for his proposal. Mr. Zaiwalla was kind enough to share some further thoughts with us.

IMO member Sarosh Zaiwalla of Comoros  is advocating for a UN Navy Task Force that would monitor piracy incidents along the Somali coast.

The maritime community has been discussing the use of armed guards aboard vessels in response to the continued issue of piracy within the Gulf of Aden and other high risk areas.

The increase in piracy off Somalia and a ten-fold hike in insurance premiums have sent the cost of sending ships through the Gulf of Aden soaring.

The hearings were held on May 20, 2009 in response to the attacks on the Maersk Alabama and Liberty Sun under the chairmanship of Congressman Elijah Cummings. Your editors thought the following quote summed up the situation:

Should shipowners/operators have primary responsibility for their vessels security or does the international community have a role to play?

During recent congressional hearings, U.S. officials call for ship owner/operators to provide for their own security when transiting dangerous waters.