Transcript Slide 1

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The three areas of concern to IMO, particularly relevant to
the situation off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, can be
summed up as:
the need to protect seafarers, fishermen and passengers;
the need to ensure the uninterrupted delivery of
humanitarian aid to Somalia effected by ships chartered by
the World Food Programme; and
the need to preserve the integrity of the Gulf of Aden - a
lane of strategic importance and significance to
international shipping and trade, both east and west of the
Suez Canal, which is used by some 22,000 vessels
annually, carrying around 8% of the world's trade,
including more than 12% of the total volume of oil
transported by sea, as well as raw materials and finished
goods.
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Regional cooperation among States has an
important role to play in solving the problem of
piracy and armed robbery against ships, as
evidenced by the success of the regional antipiracy operation in the Straits of Malacca and
Singapore. The Regional Cooperation Agreement
on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against
ships in Asia (RECAAP), which was concluded in
November 2004 by 16 countries in Asia, and
includes the RECAAP Information Sharing Centre
(ISC) for facilitating the sharing of piracy-related
information, is a good example of successful
regional cooperation which IMO seeks to
replicate elsewhere
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In January 2009, an important regional
agreement was adopted in Djibouti by States in
the region, at a high-level meeting convened by
IMO. The Code of Conduct concerning the
Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against
Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of
Aden recognizes the extent of the problem of
piracy and armed robbery against ships in the
region and, in it, the signatories declare their
intention to co operate to the fullest possible
extent, and in a manner consistent with
international law, in the repression of piracy and
armed robbery against ships
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Implementation of the Djibouti Code of Conduct
will help to:
improve communications between States;
enhance the capabilities of States in the region to
deter, arrest and prosecute pirates;
improve States' maritime situational awareness;
and
enhance the capabilities of local coast guards.
IMO has also revised the guidance on measures
to take to deter piracy, to include region-specific
guidance based on industry best management
practice.
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For over 2,000 years, the nations of the world
have considered pirates to be enemies of the
human race (hostes humani generis).
Accordingly, every nation has the legal
authority to establish jurisdiction over piracy
and punish the offenders, regardless of the
nationality of the perpetrator or victim
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Piratical
attacks
off
the
Horn
of
Africa
constitute a threat to the lives and welfare of
the citizens and seafarers of many nations.
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Nearly 12% of the world’s petroleum passes
through the Gulf of Aden, which is one of the
world’s most important waterways.
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A single piratical attack often affects the
interests of numerous countries, including the
flag State of the vessel, various States of
nationality of the seafarers taken hostage,
regional coastal States, owner States, cargo
owner, transshipment, and destination States.
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In 2008, the number of reported piracy attacks
off East Africa rose astronomically. Barely a day
seemed to pass without a new incident being
reported. Figures compiled by IMO show that, in
the first quarter of 2008, there were 11 piracy
attacks in that region, rising to 23 in the second
quarter and rocketing to 50 in the third and 51 in
the fourth quarters, making a total of 135 attacks
during 2008, resulting in 44 ships having been
seized by pirates and more than 600 seafarers
having been kidnapped and held for ransom.
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A dramatic increase in activity by Somali
pirates led to a near doubling in the number
of ships attacked during 2009’s first quarter
compared with the same period in 2008.
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Ports such as Eyl, Kismayo and Harardhere —
all now considered to be pirate dens.
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A total of 102 incidents were reported to the International Maritime
Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) in the first three months
of 2009
◦ Compared to 53 incidents in the first quarter of 2008.
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The quarterly report also said attacks increased by almost 20% over
last quarter of 2008.
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The increase in the first quarter of
2009 is due almost entirely to
increased Somali pirate activity off the
Gulf of Aden and the east coast of
Somalia
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The two areas accounted for 61 of the
102 attacks during the first quarter
compared to six incidents for the
same period in 2008.
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Forty-one incidents were reported in the
Gulf of Aden region, including the hijacking
of five vessels.
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In January 2009, one in every six vessels
attacked was successfully hijacked
◦ With the rate decreasing to one in eight
for February 2009 and one in 13 for the
month of March.
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On average, one in eight vessels attacked
was hijacked during the first quarter.
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The last quarter of 2008 saw a total of 41
incidents in which the ratio was one in three
vessels attacked being hijacked
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The east coast of Somalia recorded
20 attacks in the first quarter of the
year
◦ with 18 of the incidents reported in
March 2009 alone − including four
hijackings.
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This compares to the last quarter of
2008 in which seven incidents were
reported
◦ including two hijackings for this area
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In addition to Somalia, Nigeria
continues to be a high risk area.
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In the first quarter of 2009 the
International Chamber of
Commerce’s International
Maritime Bureau (IMB) received
reports of only seven incidents
◦
although unconfirmed reports
would suggest that at least a further
13 attacks had occurred in the same
period.
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Nearly all incidents have taken
place on vessels supporting and
connected to the oil industry.
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Attacks have taken place many
hundreds of miles off the
country’s coastline.
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The problem of Somali piracy
has now spilled over to
neighboring countries,
threatening trade routes into
their ports.
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Recent attacks have shown that
the pirate gangs are able to
successfully operate far out to
sea using mother ships.
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All vessels not calling at East African
ports should try and stay at least 600
nm from the coastline.
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Masters should maintain strict 24-hour
piracy watches and be especially wary
of any approaching small craft.
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Ships should report their presence and
intended itinerary to the Horn of Africa
coalition taskforce
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In the Indian Ocean to observe a Ship
Security Level appropriate to the level
of pirate attacks reported in the region.
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Masters should report all actual or
attempted attacks, as well as any
suspicious vessel movements
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Each
Country
must
recognize
that
responses to piracy will vary according to
geographic,
political,
environments,
as
and
well
as
legal
available
international resources and that the scope
of any mission and the defined nature of
the
threat
will
affect
the
choice
of
response.
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The objective is to repress piracy as
effectively as possible in the interests of
the
global
navigation,
economy,
Somalia,
and
freedom
the
of
regional
states. Accordingly, the immediate focus
should
be
on
operational
counter-
measures to prevent, disrupt, and punish
acts of Somali pirate organizations.
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Achieving
this
objective
will
ultimately require action on land to
reinforce measures taken at sea and
to deprive the pirates of ransom
proceeds.
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Achieving this objective will require
cooperation,
integration
enforcement,
coordination,
among
military,
judicial,
and
law
diplomatic,
and commercial interests in and
beyond the affected region.
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Piracy
off
the
Somali
coast
is
only
one
manifestation of the tragic events Somalia has
experienced for almost 20 years.
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Long-term actions to establish governance, rule
of law, security, and economic development in
Somalia are necessary to repress piracy fully and
sustainable in the region.
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Consistent with international law and with full
respect for the sovereignty, territorial integrity,
political independence and unity of Somalia – the
world must reduce the incidents of piracy,
thereby
decreasing
the
impact
on
global
commerce, and preventing the lack of security in
Somalia from reaching out beyond its shores.
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GMATS (global maritime and Transportation
School)
Combined joint Taskforce, Horn Of Africa
Maritime Center of Excellence
Lectures(Bandari College)
IMO website
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