Commercial shipping 'paying price for Somali piracy'
Ships like the Sirius Star at risk of pirate attack
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Wednesday, 03, Dec 2008 08:31
A growing number of shipping companies are being forced to divert high-risk vessels away from the Gulf of Aden because of pirates roaming the waters there, the Chamber of Shipping has warned.
Its head of international policy Gavin Simmonds told inthenews.co.uk many firms are opting to send their ships the long way round Africa and the Cape of Good Hope because of pirates originating from Somalia's lawless Horn of Africa coastline.
Shipping firms are reassessing their options for vessels with a lower freeboard – the height of the deck above the waterline – including smaller container ships, offshore support vessels and tugs, he said.
"Companies are deciding their routing has to reflect the level of concern that those ships might become victim to a piracy attack. That has immediate cost implications," Mr Simmonds explained.
"These are somewhat offset by the saving you make on the Suez Canal charges. But going round Africa can mean adding anything up to two or three weeks to your voyage, meaning wasted time and extra insurance and charter costs."
The commercial disadvantages brought by the extra 3,000 miles around Africa are being accepted by operators because of piracy problems in the region. So far this year 92 attacks have been mounted, of which 36 have been successful.
According to the Chamber of Shipping roughly a quarter of UK imports by value are brought via the Suez Canal route, or eight per cent by volume, making the piracy problem a major headache for Britain.
And Mr Brooks warned that British-flagged ships may fall victim to pirates in the future, despite their strong record in avoiding hijackings so far.
He said the modern, efficient and well-operated nature of most commercial ships flying the red ensign meant they were "not seen as a soft target" by pirates.
Despite this, Mr Brooks called on governments around the world to maintain their commitment to resolve the problem with a military commitment both in the water and on the ground.
"The principle concern of ours is to protect our seafarers and to ensure the safety of our ships" he added.
"Despite UK ships having a good record of evading attack… that might not continue. There is a risk that a UK ship could become the victim of an attack."