Somali Piracy
Tanzania hit by pirate attacks on the Indian Ocean waters
DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (eTN) - Tanzania has joined the international force in fighting piracy along the East African coast, as Somali pirates continue to hijack commercial ships along the route.
Tanzania Security and Defense Minister Dr. Hussein Mwinyi said Tanzania is currently working with international forces to ensure the safety for ships plying the Eastern African coast, which is being threatened by Somali piracy.
Increased piracy on the Tanzanian sea route is jeopardizing commercial shipping and tourist vintage cruise ships. There is a great possibility of experiencing low-shipping traffic with the dwindling of export and import trade within east African nations because of the ongoing problem.
So far, Tanzania is among the trouble spots along the Indian Ocean’s western rim having experienced 14 pirate attacks.
The country’s commercial shipping regulators, the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA), held a regional meeting to check the piracy plague under the auspices of the world maritime body, the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
SUMATRA has said it is still measuring the impact of the scourge on the country’s commercial shipping regime.
However, shipping companies that serve the Tanzanian sea route say that the piracy scourge is frustrating the commercial shipping regime, which is also facing dwindling export traffic due to the global economic recession.
It is being predicted that premiums are going to go up as piracy becomes more vicious.
Ships are now sailing around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the risk of capture.
MSC-Tanzania’s managing director, Mr. John Nyaronga, said the country’s export trade, led by traditional exports commodities like cotton, cashew nuts, and coffee, have been hit by the global economic downturn that has depreciated the international prices of the commodities.
Mr. Nyaronga said the trend has already shaken the shipping community because of the uncertainties brought by Somali pirates.
Dar es Salaam-based shipping company Maersk Tanzania has introduced an emergency risk surcharge for sea-borne cargo destined for Tanzania to compensate for any piracy incident.
Observers say insurance premiums, which are on the increase due to piracy, can lead to hyperinflation in vulnerable economies like Tanzania, if not tamed.
It is a normal practice by shippers in the country to pass the extra transportation costs they incur to consumers making the domestic market inflationary.
Experts say shipping companies will pay US$400 million as an insurance cover per annum for their vessels to ply the troubled Somali waters.
It was reported on Saturday that six Somali pirates in a speedboat approached a German cruise liner MS Melody‚ in the Indian Ocean waters, but guards aboard the ship opened fire prompting the pirates to flee.
On board the MS Melody were some 1,000 passengers, including German tourists, a number of other nationalities, and the crew.
The captain of the cruise ship said that the pirates tried to seize his ship about 180 miles north of Victoria in the Seychelles. He added that the gunmen fired at least 200 rounds of shots to the vessel.
The MS Melody was on a tourist cruise from South Africa to Italy. It is now heading to the Jordanian port of Aqaba as scheduled.
It was also reported (on Sunday) that Somali pirates took over a Yemeni oil tanker and clashed with coast guards. Two pirates were killed, three others were wounded, while two Yemeni guards were hurt during the fighting.
Somali pirates hijacked about 100 ships last year.
Comments
The same people that say ships should not be armed are the ones that say you have no right to protect yourself when you are being mugged, robbed and raped.
The criminal element will prey on those that they know will not resist, either on a ship at sea or walking down the street in a city.
Many of these somolian pirates hijack because they know it is an easy way to get lots of money, more than they could ever honestly earn in somolia. When they realize the gravy train is over, many of them will look elsewhere. The trick is to convience them that it won't work anymore and the way to do that is to stop them by any and all means available. That means deadly force. These men and boys are terrorist. They understand death. If they believe with certainty that they will die trying, most will not try. Those that do try, will only do it once and would serve as an example for others.
Yes, they have it rough. The entire country is is squalor and the goverment leaders have no power. That does not give them the right to abuse others. If they want to kill and steal from each other, it is an internal problem and none of our business. The minute they step outside their world with criminal acts and terrorism, it needs to be their last.
This rash of hijacking could have been cut short if the world community would have taken a firm stand after the first ship was taken.
If you walk into my house, take my property and try to kidnap my family, I would do my best to make sure you did not survive the encounter. The shipping world needs to have the same attitude.
I enjoy reading daily your travel related news.Thank you for keeping the travel industry so well informed.For the very first time I read that a ship (a German cruise liner) was protected by guards who fired at the pirates along the Somalian coast. Why can't the other ships and boats hire some guards, marshals or even get some soldiers from their national armies to ensure security and fire their weapons against the pirates when attacked ? It sounds ridiculous to me that in our 21st century ships and boats can be threatened and highjacked by pirates putting the lives of their passengers and crews in danger and be able to walk away so easily with such huge ramsons without any resistance.
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