The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has made calls on the international community to take concrete measures to curb the latest rampant surge of piracy activities off the Somali Coast.
Responding to the call, the European Union (EU) has agreed to deploy an air and naval force off the coast of Somalia to guard sea lanes against piracy.
The EU's naval mission, to be in place by next month, is expected to protect vulnerable vessels off the coast and help ensure the delivery of materail aid to Somalia along with India and Russia. NATO has in fact already sent a fleet to protect food shipments to Somalia.
In a rare sign of success in the fight against piracy, an Indian naval vessel on Tuesday sunk a pirate "mother ship."
Then on Wednesdy, its Defense Ministry announced the Indian warship INS Tabar destroyed a suspected pirate ship in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Africa -- a second major show of force from India this week.
Ten EU nations have said they will contribute to the EU operation, which is expected to involve four to six ships at any given time, as well as several maritime surveillance aircraft in an initial one-year mandate.
Also, the South Korean government said it plans to combat piracy in the area by sending a 4,500-ton destroyer loaded with SM-2 Block IIIA missiles and other cutting-edge weaponry, as well as the Navy's Special Forces.
According to security experts, the "very lawless nature" of Somalia itself, where the state has receded to becoming almost absent, is leaving the coast area a very dangerous one threatening the international community in its marintime communication and trade.
The IMB reported that at least 83 ships have been attacked in the shipping lanes near the area since January 2008. Of these, 33 were hijacked. Twelve of these ships, with a total of 250 crew members, are still in the custody of the pirates.
In fact, since the Suadi-owned supertanker "Sirius Star" was captured on Tuesday, the pirates have captured three more vessels.
Source:Xinhua
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