Pirates are now using new methods and even carrying out attacks in bad weather.
KARACHI: According to a report dated July 15, the International Maritime Bureau has warned shipowners and captains to be on their guard as pirates are now using new methods and even carrying out attacks in bad weather. From January to June this year, there were 266 attacks by pirates, compared with 196 incidents over the same period last year. Around three-fifths of all attacks are carried out by pirates from Somalia. Last year, the MV Suez, a ship belong to an Egyptian company, was hijacked by Somali pirates. Of its 22 crew members, four were Pakistani and six Indian. And they were released after almost 10 months in captivity, after a ransom of $2.1 million had been paid by Pakistani authorities.
Cargo vessels and oil tankers are generally targeted for hijacking by pirates because of their slow speed, and because their crew is not as large in number compared to that of cruise liners. Besides, cargo vessels often carry valuable loads which are an attraction in themselves for pirates.
Although the Pakistan Navy and the navies of six other countries contribute to the Combined Task Force (CTF)-151, an international task force to counter the menace of piracy in the Gulf of Aden around the Horn of Africa, pirate attacks still happen. The reason is that crews on merchant vessels are unarmed since shipping companies are reluctant to arm them because guns could increase liability from accidents. Moreover, carrying weapons is usually banned on commercial vessels in several international ports.
In March 2010, pirates tried to hijack a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship in the waters off the coast of Somalia. This ship, however, had private armed guards on it and they returned fire and managed to kill one of the pirates. The hijack attempt was unsuccessful and the incident showed the efficacy of using private guards. Most Pakistani merchant vessels use the Gulf of Aden route, which also takes them around the Horn of Africa, and hence they are quite vulnerable to attack by pirates. What they need to do is to hire private security guards on board their vessels because this can be an effected deterrent against pirate attacks. Cameras are also available in the market which allow images to be captured of vessels up to 16 kilometres away. This allows captains of ships enough time to mount a response in case of an impending attack.
In addition to this, the UN’s International Maritime Organisation has recently endorsed the use of private armed guards to protect ships from piracy. Pakistani’s ministry of ports and shipping and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation should consider making this mandatory for all Pakistani merchant vessels.
Sqn-Ldr (retd.) S Ausaf Husain
Published in The Express Tribune, July 18th, 2011.
