Pirates of the Gulf of Aden
The conditions for cruise ships in the Gulf of Aden appear to be getting worse before they get better. The scenes at sea are cinematic in nature, yet very real and posing great danger to those passing through. Some 21,000 ships a year or more than 50 a day cross the Gulf of Aden, which links the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean.
The German government denied Hapag Lloyd’s request for a security escort through the gulf, which led to their decision on the detour, company spokesman Rainer Mueller said. “We won’t travel through the Gulf of Aden with passengers” as long as the German Foreign Ministry’s travel warning is in effect, Mueller said.
Stuttgart-based Hansa Touristik, another German cruise ship operator canceled a trip that would have brought the M/S Arion through the Gulf on Dec. 27, company spokeswoman Birgit Kelern said.
Directors of a third German cruise company, the Bremen-based Plantours & Partner, were meeting with ship captains in Venice to decide whether to go ahead with a trip planned through the gulf. Passengers will learn Wednesday whether the M/S Vistamar will set sail on December 16th as planned, spokeswoman Sandra Marnen said.
While the danger of a pirate attack was significant, A U.S. Navy official said it was not advising ships to avoid transiting the gulf. “We are advising all ships to transit through international traffic corridor within the Gulf of Aden,” said Lt. Nathan Christensen, a Bahrain-based spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, referring to a security corridor patrolled by the international coalition since August.
The growing chaos in impoverished Somalia, which has had no effective government for nearly two decades, has allowed an Islamic insurgency to flourish in the country at the same time as speedboat bandits attack ships offshore.
The EU, meanwhile, launched its anti-piracy mission five days early on Tuesday, before it takes over for the NATO ships next Monday. The EU mission will include six ships and up to three aircraft patrolling at any one time, and will station armed guards aboard some cargo vessels, such as ships transporting food aid to Somalia, according to the British naval commander in charge of the mission.
“We would seek to place vessel protect detachments on board World Food Program ships transiting to Somalia,” British Rear Admiral Philip Jones told a news conference in Brussels. “They are the most vulnerable ships of all, and the best deterrence is achieved by having such a detachment on board.”
The NATO anti-piracy mission has helped 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid reach Somalia since Oct. 24. In addition, about a dozen other warships from the U.S. 5th Fleet based in Bahrain, as well as from India, Russia and Malaysia and other nations are patrolling in the area.
Britain, France, Greece, Sweden, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands will contribute at least 10 warships and three aircraft to the mission, with contingents rotated every three months.
Karen
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