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Weblog July 2011
Pirates: the scourge of the Indian Ocean
Allow me to use this blog to comment on an underreported and by the public often underestimated problem: that of piracy in general and in the Indian Ocean in particular.
Don’t think Johnny Depp and Pirates of the Caribbean here, but ruthless organized crime, where criminal syndicates - using the services of international law firms - fund, recruit and equip pirates for operations in the Indian Ocean. Although piracy or attacks by gangs on vessels are also known to take place in the Strait of Malacca, West Africa and to the north and west of South America, currently it is nowhere as bad as in the Indian Ocean.
What started as a containable problem off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, has - due to the systemic failure to grasp the seriousness of the problem by the international community - grown to a pest that permeates the Indian Ocean (an area that covers four million square kilometers) where seafarers and their ships have been attacked near the Seychelles, off the coast of mainland India, in the Red Sea, the Strait of Hormuz, and Mauritius.
Although various diplomatic, development aid and military initiatives have been undertaken by EU member states, China, India, Korea, Russia, NATO and other nation states bordering the Indian Ocean to stop the pirates, so far the international community has not been able to eradicate the problem.
From the moment proper recording of this type of incidents began, the number of attacks and attempts in the Indian Ocean has increased from 22 in 2006 to 219 in 2010. The first five months of 2011 have already seen 139 incidents, resulting in the death of seven people. Currently, 26 vessels have been hijacked with 522 people being held hostage.
It is clear that Dockwise, with its fleet of large, semi-submersible vessels and with Safety and Security high on its agenda, is very concerned about piracy as our crews first and foremost and second our cargo and vessels must remain safe.
Dockwise lately has sought publicity to press both Dutch and foreign politicians to step up efforts and not only address the root cause of the problem (the criminal organizations that have found fertile recruiting grounds in desperately poor Somalia that lacks a proper central government) but also either assist ship owners by providing marines to ensure safe passage in the area, or, alternatively, allow ship owners to take relevant measures. This call for help has been repeated by national and international shipping organizations in many countries as well as by the International Maritime Organization. Until structural solutions to stop pirates - including measures on shore in Somalia - prove successful, carrying arms on vessels is, unfortunately, the best strategy to stop vessels from being hijacked.
Governments around the world - including Europe (e.g., Cyprus and the United Kingdom) - increasingly are amending their regulations to allow ship owners to secure adequate protection, and, moreover, are taking measures to combat piracy with military force. The recent policy introduction by the Netherlands’ government to allow Marine Vessel Protection Detachments to escort ships is a step in the right direction. Adaptation of the legal framework to allow private armed guards onboard vessels that cannot be protected by governments from an operational point of view is a necessary complementary measure that will ensure enhanced Safety and Security for our crews, cargos and vessels.
Peter Wit
Chief Financial officer
