‘SA safe from piracy’

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”.