Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Saturday, Oct 03, 2009
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Business Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Saturday, Oct 03, 2009 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version | Audio | Blogs |
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Logistics
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Piracy Indian ships advised to transit Gulf of Aden with naval escort T.E. Raja Simhan Chennai, Oct. 2 The Directorate-General of Shipping has ‘strongly’ advised Indian ships carrying Indian seafarers transiting the Gulf of Aden to utilise amply the escort provided by the Indian naval ships. Ship owners have also been advised to undertake active anti-piracy measures in the vicinity of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. The Ministry issued the advisory following media reports quoting a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) official that there are specific threats to Indian ships and Indian seafarers by Al Qaida type groups in the Gulf of Aden and on the Somalia coast. Located in the Arabian Sea between Yemen and Somalia, this corridor, an important shipping lane, is part of the Suez Canal between the Mediterranean Sea and the Arabian Sea. It is said that over 20,000 ships cross the gulf annually. In the event such merchant vessels are unable to conform to the Indian warships’ schedule for any reason, they are advised to take the escort schedules of warships of other countries throughout the length of the International Recommended Transit Corridor (the Gulf of Aden), the DG Shipping said. In the wake of a spate of piracy attacks on merchant shipping in the Gulf of Aden, Indian naval ships have been deployed in the Gulf of Aden since October 2008 to escort the ships. Besides the presence of Indian naval ships, the French, Russian, Malaysian, and Coalition forces from the Combined Task Force 150 and the European Union Maritime Force (EUMF) are undertaking anti piracy patrolling in the area. Currently, the Indian Navy has been promulgating the convoy timings from either side of the Corridor so that Indian flagged merchant vessels and vessels with Indian interests/carrying Indian crew members can endeavour to be present at the designated times to avail themselves of the escort provided by the Indian naval vessel on patrol. Information regarding merchant ships likely to use the security cover provided by the Indian warship is collated by DG Shipping and communicated to the Navy for onward transmission to the naval ship on patrol duties. Additionally, the warships on patrol have been establishing contact with the merchant ships when in VHF/ UHF range to reassure them of the Indian naval presence in the area, which has boosted the morale of the shipping community. However, feedback received from naval ships on patrol indicate that many Indian flagged ships continue to proceed independently through the Gulf of Aden without availing themselves of convoy protection, which could lead to serious consequences that may include hijacking, the DG Shipping said. Pirates of Somalia Protecting ships from pirate attack Tight vigilance reduces pirate attacks on ships Pirates on the prowl — High seas, low security More Stories on : Piracy | Shipping/Ports
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