Anti-Piracy Action Provides Reassurance for Seafarers Transiting Gulf of Aden

In the wake of several lost opportunities to bring suspected pirates to justice for their criminal acts, INTERTANKO welcomes this week’s judgment in a Kenyan prosecution following the arrest of pirates by an EU NAVFOR warship. Seven Somali men accused of acts of piracy have been convicted in the Mombasa Law Courts and sentenced to five years' imprisonment. This is Kenya’s second pirate conviction this year – in March, eight pirates were sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment. In all, Kenya has taken on 14 pirate cases involving 224 suspected pirates. This country is one of the first to introduce specific laws domesticating the provisions of UNCLOS thereby updating its national laws on piracy.

“INTERTANKO commends Kenya for its willingness to assume the responsibility, despite limited resources, to prosecute and incarcerate sentenced pirates,” says INTERTANKO Managing Director Dr Peter Swift. “INTERTANKO once again challenges signatory nations to UNCLOS, nations with naval units deployed in the high-risk area and/or whose merchant ships receive protection during transit of the high-risk area, to assume their responsibilities to act with force and determination to apprehend suspected pirates and bring them to justice under their national judicial systems”.

The attack in March 2009 on the FGS Spessart, a Rhoen-class tanker of the German Navy, by these seven men aboard a single pirate skiff was beaten off by the vessel’s security team. The skiff was tracked by three multinational taskforces and stopped by the German frigate FGS Rheinland-Pfalz.

INTERTANKO also applauds this week’s rescue by U.S. marine commandos, without a shot being fired, of the crew of the Magellan Star who had managed to stop the ship’s engine and take refuge in a safe room, leaving the ship adrift and the pirates frustrated; and also the recent action reportedly taken by the Indian Navy while escorting in the Internationally Recognised Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden a group of ships which were apparently attacked by up to eight pirate skiffs operating from a mother vessel. The Indian Navy launched a helicopter and Special Operations Force team. An unconfirmed report from the master of one of the vessels attacked alleges 6-8 pirates in each of eight skiffs armed with rocket-propelled grenade launchers, guns and ammunition. All the pirates are said to have been arrested and the skiffs destroyed.

The Indian Navy has said that one of its ships has intervened in an attempted attack but has made no official announcement to date about any arrests. INTERTANKO anxiously awaits the news that these latest pirates captured have been arrested and will be handed over for trial.

“Both the Kenyan prosecutions and the reported U.S. and Indian naval action, will reassure seafarers transiting this area, and will demonstrate to pirates that the authorities are increasingly willing to take pirates out of action,” adds Swift.