Posted:
June 18, 2008
Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a series of measures to combat acts of piracy in the territorial waters of Somalia.
Separately, the RAND Corporation recently released a report resulting from a federally-funded study. Among other things, the report noted the number of piracy incidents increased 68 percent worldwide between 2000 to 2006, compared with the previous six-year period, while a modest increase in terrorist attacks and plots involving shipping was documented.
The adoption of resolution 1816 (2008) followed the UN Security Council's receipt of a letter from the Transitional Government of Somalia giving consent for a period of six months for foreign states to enter the nation's territorial waters and use "all necessary means" to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea in a manner consistent with international law.
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos lauded the adoption of the UN resolution, which followed two years of intensive efforts by the IMO to bring the problem to the attention of the security council and achieve a concerted response, according to an IMO press release.
"IMO has been asking since June 2007 that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia consent to naval ships entering the country's territorial waters to protect shipping under attack by pirates and armed robbers," Mitropoulos said. "This has now been done, through the security council resolution, and we should work together to ensure that acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships sailing off the coast of Somalia are prevented and suppressed to the benefit of the Somali people, first and foremost, the seafarers and passengers on ships sailing in the region, the shipping industry and international seaborne trade."
The security council resolution was adopted with the consent of Somalia, which lacks the capacity to patrol and secure its territorial waters, and follows a spike in attacks on vessels off the nation's coast, including hijackings of vessels operating in the World Food Program (WFP) and other commercial vessels. The attacks pose a threat "to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of food aid and other humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia," and a grave danger to vessels, crews, passengers and cargo, according to the IMO.
According to the RAND study, the Indonesian archipelago in particular and Southeast Asia in general remained the most significant area for piracy, and accounted for almost one quarter of incidents of piracy during 2006. Also cited as high-risk areas were the waters near Somalia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Tanzania and Peru, as well as the Gulf of Aden.
The report distinguished between acts of piracy and acts of terrorism, noting the primary motive for piracy is financial, while the objectives of terrorism are political. Incidents of both are increasing, although piracy is increasing more rapidly and remains much more common in shipping trades than terrorism, according to the study.
UN resolution allows military vessels to combat pirate attacks in Somali waters as RAND study finds worldwide increase in incidents of piracy
Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing a series of measures to combat acts of piracy in the territorial waters of Somalia.
Separately, the RAND Corporation recently released a report resulting from a federally-funded study. Among other things, the report noted the number of piracy incidents increased 68 percent worldwide between 2000 to 2006, compared with the previous six-year period, while a modest increase in terrorist attacks and plots involving shipping was documented.
The adoption of resolution 1816 (2008) followed the UN Security Council's receipt of a letter from the Transitional Government of Somalia giving consent for a period of six months for foreign states to enter the nation's territorial waters and use "all necessary means" to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea in a manner consistent with international law.
International Maritime Organization Secretary-General Efthimios Mitropoulos lauded the adoption of the UN resolution, which followed two years of intensive efforts by the IMO to bring the problem to the attention of the security council and achieve a concerted response, according to an IMO press release.
"IMO has been asking since June 2007 that the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia consent to naval ships entering the country's territorial waters to protect shipping under attack by pirates and armed robbers," Mitropoulos said. "This has now been done, through the security council resolution, and we should work together to ensure that acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships sailing off the coast of Somalia are prevented and suppressed to the benefit of the Somali people, first and foremost, the seafarers and passengers on ships sailing in the region, the shipping industry and international seaborne trade."
The security council resolution was adopted with the consent of Somalia, which lacks the capacity to patrol and secure its territorial waters, and follows a spike in attacks on vessels off the nation's coast, including hijackings of vessels operating in the World Food Program (WFP) and other commercial vessels. The attacks pose a threat "to the prompt, safe and effective delivery of food aid and other humanitarian assistance to the people of Somalia," and a grave danger to vessels, crews, passengers and cargo, according to the IMO.
According to the RAND study, the Indonesian archipelago in particular and Southeast Asia in general remained the most significant area for piracy, and accounted for almost one quarter of incidents of piracy during 2006. Also cited as high-risk areas were the waters near Somalia, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Tanzania and Peru, as well as the Gulf of Aden.
The report distinguished between acts of piracy and acts of terrorism, noting the primary motive for piracy is financial, while the objectives of terrorism are political. Incidents of both are increasing, although piracy is increasing more rapidly and remains much more common in shipping trades than terrorism, according to the study.