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ShareThisMarad Warns of Increasing Piracy
End of monsoon season likely to bring more attacks
The Maritime Administration is warning vessel operators that piracy incidents may be on the uptick in the Horn of Africa region now that the monsoon season is over.
Marad has published a detailed advisory to U.S.-flag ships to use what measures they have to resist a pirate attack short of using lethal force.
“We are urging mariners to take defensive measures and not surrender at the first sign of a threat,” said acting administrator David Matsuda.
The advisory says that attacks have been repulsed where crews used defensive measures, or had made their ships difficult targets. In one case, pirates boarded a ship, but were unable to gain access to the ship’s interior because the crew had secured all access points.
Other defensive measures include maximum sustainable speed in high-risk areas, and continual risk management throughout the voyage.
The advisory is online at Marad’s Web site: http://www.marad.dot.gov/news_room_landing_page/maritime_advisories/advisory/advisory2009-07.htm.
Contact R.G. Edmonson at bedmonson@joc.com.
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All of this is well and good advice. But - piracy will not abate until the US Navy and Coast Guard abandon the ill- advised "Catch and Release" program. Just because the Europeans do it does not mean that we should.
The pirates have the perfect business plan. Capture a ship; demand a ransom; repeat. They face no risk in its execution. The only way to stop this is to disrupt the business.
The Navy has complained that it does not have the resources to cover the entire area East of Somalia. The job would be easier if the number of pirates were reduced.
History teaches that the only way to reduce piracy is to kill the pirates where you find them. The Chinese Government virtually eliminated piracy in the South China Sea when it executed some pirates and the port officials that supported and aided them. Incidents since then = 0.