The Round Table of international shipping associations, the body created by major organizations worldwide shipping (BIMCO, ICS / ISF, Intercargo and Intertanko), calls for the establishment of a UN military force be used to combat piracy in the Indian Ocean.
In a letter sent to the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-Moon, the presidents of BIMCO (Yudhishthir Khatau), ICS (Spyros Polemis), Intercargo (Nicolas Pappadakis) and Intertanko (Graham Westgarth) have advocated a " bold new strategy "to curb the escalation of acts of piracy that has made the Indian Ocean - have pointed out - like the" Wild West ".
"It is now quite clear to the shipping companies - have written Khatau, Polemis, and Pappadakis Westgarth - that the current situation, in which control of the Indian Ocean was traded to the Pirates, and still requires a new strategy. To be honest, the current approach does not work. "
Recalling that shipping companies are increasingly forced to use private armed guards to protect their crews and their ships, representatives from BIMCO, ICS / ISF, Intercargo and Intertanko have found that "it seems inevitable that the situation of lawlessness in the territory of Somalia will continue to fuel the lawlessness at sea. " Assuring full support to long-term measures of the United Nations to help the Somali people, the representatives of shipping, however, have expressed concern that such actions "could take years if not decades, to have a significant impact on piracy."
BIMCO, ICS / ISF, Intercargo and Intertanko have asked that the proposal of a UN armed force is brought to the attention of the UN Security Council explaining that the organizations believe precisely that shipping would be an important measure precisely to "create UN military armed guards that can be used in small teams on board merchant ships. " "What - have highlighted Khatau, Polemis, and Pappadakis Westgarth - would be a force for innovation in terms of UN peacekeeping activities, but could do much to stabilize the situation, to limit the spread of private contract security personnel, armed and unregulated, and to allow those Member States of the United Nations that do not have naval forces, including those areas most directly affected, to make a significant contribution in the fight against piracy. "
- Via Raffaele Paolucci 17r/19r - 16129 Genoa - ITALY
phone: +39.010.2462122, fax: +39.010.2516768, e-mail
VAT number: 03532950106
Press Reg.: nr 33/96 Genoa Court
Editor in chief: Bruno Bellio No part may be reproduced without the express permission of the publisher