Maersk Calls for Secure Somali Sea Lane

A.P. Moller-Maersk is calling for creation of a secure maritime corridor off the coast of eastern Somalia to protect vessels against the surge in pirate attacks.

The Danish shipping line made the call as part of its ongoing investigation into the attempted hijacking of the Maersk Alabama and kidnapping of its skipper Richard Phillips, the Financial Times reported.

Søren Skou, chief executive of Maersk Tankers, said the company supported proposals to launch new initiatives in the Indian Ocean, including a regional maritime patrol.

“We also call on the international community to establish a transit corridor so vessels can safely call at ports in Kenya and Tanzania,” he said.

Creation of a secure sea lane by allied navies would likely involve the use of air patrols far out at sea. Navies cannot deploy enough vessels to respond quickly to incidents in the Indian Ocean, but in the Gulf of Aden, helicopters can frequently reach the scene of an attack within 30 minutes, often in time to foil it.

But outside of the patrolled transit zone in the Gulf of Aden, ships are on their own. U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. (Ret.) Paul J. Pluta, who was responsible for safety and security before he retired, said the best way for the allied forces to protect this zone would be regular air patrols that could be mounted from Djibouti, from Mombasa in Kenya, or from the U.S. base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean.

Phillips, captain of the U.S.-flag Maersk Alabama, was held for four days on a drifting lifeboat before U.S. Navy snipers killed three of his captors and freed him.

In Washington today, Phillips will be back for a second round of testimony on Capitol Hill, when a Senate subcommittee takes on "Piracy on the High Seas."

The Maersk vessel's chief engineer, Michael Perry, will testify alongside Phillips, who advocated arming U.S. merchant seamen in testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 30.

This time around, the hearing is being held by the Senate Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security, chaired by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Pirate activity in the Indian Ocean has risen since March, as ships in the Gulf of Aden, off northern Somalia, where most attacks took place last year, have stepped up security measures.