Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

International Maritime Organization wants UN action on pirates

Says here (free subscription required):
IMO, the International Maritime Organization, is reportedly to consider a draft resolution asking for UN Security Council assistance in dealing with piracy

A session of the IMO Council is scheduled for November 17-18 and the Assembly meets November 21 to December 2005. It is expected that the draft resolution will be presented at these meetings.

The ITF--the International Transport Workers' Federation--has already issued a statement congratulating IMO on the move. The labor organization says it made a personal plea to IMO Secretary General Efthimios Mitropoulos to bring in the Security Council and says that Mitropolous's response was that the IMO already planned to do so.

John Bainbridge, who represents the ITF on piracy at the IMO explained that the recent attack on the Seabourn Spirit, "coming hard on the heels of the shameful theft of two relief vessels, proves that the situation is almost beyond control. Even 100 miles offshore ships are unsafe. We must bite the bullet and admit that as a unified nation, Somalia has ceased to exist. That may well mean that other countries will have to enter its waters and take over the duties that it can no longer carry out."
I'm sure a UN resolution will scare the heck out of the Somalis...but putting some warships on patrol might be a good idea...

Of course, then the question will be, "Who will pay for the fuel for UN patrols?"

No comments:

Post a Comment