Skip to content

Int’l Maritime Watchdog Calls For Vigilance Against Pirates In Somalia

Storyline:National News

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has called on foreign vessels to remain vigilant off the coast of Somalia despite no Somali-based attacks being reported in 2015.

The maritime body in its annual report for 2015 warned vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean to stay particularly vigilant. “Somalia remains a fragile state, and the potential for an attack remains high.

It will only take one successful hijacking to undo all that has been done, and rekindle this criminal activity,” said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, which has monitored world piracy since 1991.

The report says the threat of these attacks still exist in waters off Southern Red Sea/Bab el Mandeb, Gulf of Aden including Temin and the northern Somali coast, Arabian sea/off Oman, Gulf of Oman and off the eastern and southern Somali coast.

In the past, vessels have been attacked off Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mozambique as well as in the Indian Ocean and off the west and south coasts of India and west Maldives.

“Masters are reminded that fishermen in this region may try to protect their nets by attempting to aggressively approach merchant vessels. Some of the fishermen may be armed to protect their catch and they should not be confused with pirates,” IMB said.

Experts say piracy off the coast of Somalia has been curtailed over the last four years due to effective deterrence by international naval forces, privately armed security guards on board merchant ships, and mariners avoiding the high-risk area along the Somali coast.