Djibouti calls for anti-piracy coordination ahead of talks

PILLAGING PIRATES

Greek ship seized by pirates off Somalia
A Greek cargo ship has been seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, Greece's merchant marine ministry said Sunday. The MV Saldanha was on its way to Slovenia to deliver its cargo of coal with 22 crew members on board, a ministry spokesman said, without giving further details. According to a BBC report whose details were confirmed by the British defence ministry, the ship was boarded by pirates who warned the captain of a nearby British warship, the HMS Northumberland, to stay away. The Saldanha was reportedly sailing under a Maltese flag. The British warship is in the area as part of a European Union taskforce to combat pirate attacks. Pirates attacked over 130 merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden last year, more than double the 2007 total, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy and shipping security issues. More than 150 suspected pirates were arrested by naval patrols in 2008.

by Staff Writers
Djibouti (AFP) Feb 22, 2009
Djibouti's foreign minister said Sunday a structure to coordinate international anti-piracy efforts should be established here ahead of international talks on the subject.

"We have the means," Mahmoud Ali Youssouf told his visiting French counterpart Bernard Kouchner.

"If we don't have coordination, we risk a naval battle," he quipped.

The European Union, the US and several other countries all have ships patrolling the pirate-infested waters off the Horn of Africa where 24 pirate attacks have been registered since January, three of them successful.

Attacks have led some shipping companies to avoid the route and, at greater cost, sail around Africa instead.

Countries interested in creating a coordinating mechanism are expected to meet Monday in London, diplomatic sources say.

Besides its strategic location, the tiny east African country has another asset.

"Countries all around are in conflict, more or less, and Djibouti is a safe place," Kouchner said.

Nearby Yemen has also indicated its interest in anti-piracy coordination.

Separate plans to establish an information-sharing centre among neighbouring states have yet to get beyond the discussion stage, a French diplomat said.

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PILLAGING PIRATES

NATO set for more anti-piracy duties off Somalia

Krakow, Poland (AFP) Feb 19, 2009
NATO is planning to carry out more anti-piracy duties in one of the world's busiest shipping areas off the coast of Somalia in coming months, the military alliance said Thursday.

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