Piracy expert Henri Fouché has allayed government concerns about piracy encroaching on SADC nations, saying there is no immediate fear of attacks in South African waters. The University of South Africa (Unisa) academic told FTW he did not expect any piracy attacks on the South African coast because it was quite a distance from Somalia – where most of the pirates seems to strike – and there was also a greater chance of pirates being apprehended on their way back. “I don’t expect them to attack ships here. Apart from the distance, we have a strong government with an effective criminal justice system so retribution against any attack will be swift,” he said. More people were taken hostage at sea in 2010 than in any year since records began, according to statistics from the ICC International Maritime Bureau. Between January and December 2010, 1016 seafarers have been taken hostage, 13 injured and 8 killed. In December Somali pirates held 28 vessels for ransom and were linked to 219 incidents in 2010. Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies told Parliament last month that Somali pirates were hijacking large vessels and that these vessels were being moved to places a little distant from Somalia itself – including into SADC waters. “I think this is the new development that the Cabinet has noted and referred to and we have to take account of the fact that in terms of naval capacity in SADC, many neighbouring countries have got very little and we have most of the naval capacity that’s there,” he said. Defence Minister Lindiwe Sisulu said Mozambican authorities had asked for help after an incursion into the waters of SADC around December 28, with the hijacking of a Mozambican vessel. Last Monday the International Maritime Organisation met as part of its World Maritime Day theme – Piracy: orchestrating the response – to launch its anti-piracy campaign. The function was attended by representatives of the shipping industry, according to Efthimios Mitropoulous, the secretary-general of the IMO. The meeting sought “to promote greater levels of support from, and co-ordination with navies”.
