Once again from one of our European Union correspondents we received news of Piracy. The banner title this time was "Navies must be given the power to immobilise pirate motherships". To quote from the article:
"Leading shipowners have called for navies to be given a firm mandate to immobilise pirate motherships used to launch attacks on commercial shipping vessels".
Both the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the International Shipping Federation (ISF) agree by doing this the attacks would be pushed back to the littoral area of East Africa particularly Somalia. Finally fellow seafarers the maritime powers that be realise that it makes no sense to capture and release pirates to attack another day. In a joint ICS-ISF statement again we quote:
"Members were also extremely critical of the lack of domestic legislation in many nations - including any offence of 'intent to commit piracy' which led to the absurd situation that pirates who are captured by military forces are often released back to Somalia".
Now this profound thinking and stating of the very obvious, it seems to NAUTICAL LOG, stems from the insurance premiums becoming so expensive due to shipowners just trying to pay off the pirates. Rather than blame themselves for bad decision-making they blame the navies who in turn must follow the orders of their respective governments. Since these governments are unwilling to take legal action against the pirates the naval commanders are obliged to release those pirates. All this of course is well known since the original HOA Patrol first went into action.
So once again its 'if in danger or in doubt put a paper out' then go to lunch feeling self-satisfied at the mornings work.
Good Watch
Please remember the seafarers held captive by pirates off Somalia - let us work with maritime interests and others to free them.
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