With all the coverage of the BP rig explosion and the massive spill that’s set to break records, it’s easy to forget that maritime workers across the globe continue to be at risk from pirate attacks. The International Maritime Organization has adopted an antipiracy theme for World Maritime Day 2011.
The Secretary General of the IMO has set out five objectives that will be pursued in commemoration of World Maritime Day 2011. The five objectives are
- Securing the release of hostage seamen who continue to be in the custody of pirates across the globe.
- Improving protections provided to persons, vessels and cargo by promoting support from the Navy, as well as care for hijacked seamen
- Ensuring the proper implementation of antipiracy measures, by making sure that merchant vessels are able to access naval support, and making sure that all recommended invasive and defensive measures are implemented properly
- Encouraging sharing of information between states and regions aimed at reducing attack rates, enhanced coordination of civil and military efforts, as well as regional antipiracy initiatives.
- Strengthening the capacity of states to deter and combat piracy and to bring those who commit acts of piracy to justice. These measures include attacking the root cause of piracy, and providing proper assistance to states like Somalia that are the center of the international piracy problem. This assistance will take the form of helping these states attain the financial, social and economic security they need to minimize the growth of piracy.
There’s little happening in the state of Somalia to assure maritime lawyers that piracy radiating from that region is going away anytime soon. The monsoon season in the high- piracy areas of Horn of Africa and the coast of Somalia is over, and we can expect a spike in attacks again. This is the right time to refocus attention on the piracy problem.
