Posted:
June 30, 2009
The House of Representatives has approved legislation to require “embarked military personnel” aboard some U.S.-flagged merchant ships in waters prone to piracy.
The measure was an amendment to H.R. 2647, a fiscal 2010 defense budget authorization bill that cleared by a vote of 389-22. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) filed the amendment.
Under the Cummings amendment, the Secretary of Defense would be directed to provide armed security teams for U.S.-flagged vessels carrying PL-480 grain and other government cargoes “in regions at high risk of piracy.”
In recent testimony before House and Senate subcommittees, the Department of Defense opposed the use of military detachments to protect U.S.-flagged cargo vessels in perilous areas, framing it as a “resource” issue and arguing that vessel operators alone are responsible for ship security.
But Rep. Cummings — who took DOD to task on this issue as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation — disagreed sharply.
“We would never leave the U.S. homeland unguarded if it were at risk of an attack, and we should apply the same standard to our ships instead of leaving them to fend for themselves,” he said upon House passage of H.R. 2647. “We anticipate that embarking military security personnel on these vessels will require far less manpower than patrolling the region with multiple Navy vessels and be much more efficient and effective in keeping our mariners safe.”
The Cummings amendment was a response to increasing incidents of pirate attacks upon merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. According to Rep. Cummings, there were 114 pirate attacks upon merchant vessels and 29 successful hijackings off the Horn of Africa through mid-May 2009, compared with a total of 111 attacks in 2008.
Moreover, Somali pirates threatened publicly to avenge the deaths of three pirates and the arrest of one by U.S. Navy commandos during the recent case involving the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama and its captain, Richard Phillips.
In May 2009, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Virginia — under the command of Capt. Shaun Hughes — evaded Somali pirates for the second time in six months.
The International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association represent the officers aboard the Maersk Alabama. American Maritime Officers represents the deck and engine officers aboard the Maersk Virginia. The Seafarers International Union represents the unlicensed personnel on both vessels.
“Our merchant fleet has always depended on our nation’s Naval power to ensure its safety, and we cannot shirk that duty now,” Rep. Cummings said. “Embarking military security personnel on these vessels makes a loud statement that our nation stands behind these ships, and that we will not allow pirates to intimidate us.”
House approves Naval force protection for U.S.-flagged merchant vessels hauling PL-480 and other government cargoes through “regions at high risk of piracy”
The House of Representatives has approved legislation to require “embarked military personnel” aboard some U.S.-flagged merchant ships in waters prone to piracy.
The measure was an amendment to H.R. 2647, a fiscal 2010 defense budget authorization bill that cleared by a vote of 389-22. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) filed the amendment.
Under the Cummings amendment, the Secretary of Defense would be directed to provide armed security teams for U.S.-flagged vessels carrying PL-480 grain and other government cargoes “in regions at high risk of piracy.”
In recent testimony before House and Senate subcommittees, the Department of Defense opposed the use of military detachments to protect U.S.-flagged cargo vessels in perilous areas, framing it as a “resource” issue and arguing that vessel operators alone are responsible for ship security.
But Rep. Cummings — who took DOD to task on this issue as chairman of the House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation — disagreed sharply.
“We would never leave the U.S. homeland unguarded if it were at risk of an attack, and we should apply the same standard to our ships instead of leaving them to fend for themselves,” he said upon House passage of H.R. 2647. “We anticipate that embarking military security personnel on these vessels will require far less manpower than patrolling the region with multiple Navy vessels and be much more efficient and effective in keeping our mariners safe.”
The Cummings amendment was a response to increasing incidents of pirate attacks upon merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden and in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Somalia. According to Rep. Cummings, there were 114 pirate attacks upon merchant vessels and 29 successful hijackings off the Horn of Africa through mid-May 2009, compared with a total of 111 attacks in 2008.
Moreover, Somali pirates threatened publicly to avenge the deaths of three pirates and the arrest of one by U.S. Navy commandos during the recent case involving the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama and its captain, Richard Phillips.
In May 2009, the U.S.-flagged Maersk Virginia — under the command of Capt. Shaun Hughes — evaded Somali pirates for the second time in six months.
The International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots and the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association represent the officers aboard the Maersk Alabama. American Maritime Officers represents the deck and engine officers aboard the Maersk Virginia. The Seafarers International Union represents the unlicensed personnel on both vessels.
“Our merchant fleet has always depended on our nation’s Naval power to ensure its safety, and we cannot shirk that duty now,” Rep. Cummings said. “Embarking military security personnel on these vessels makes a loud statement that our nation stands behind these ships, and that we will not allow pirates to intimidate us.”