Friday, March 4, 2011

U.S. looking at new moves on Somalia piracy: Clinton | Reuters

U.S. looking at new moves on Somalia piracy: Clinton | Reuters: "The United States is looking at new strategies to fight pirates off Somalia, who last month killed four Americans and represent a growing threat to sea traffic, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Wednesday.

'I'm fed up with it,' Clinton said in testimony to the Senate appropriations committee. 'We need to do more, and make it clear that the entire world better get behind what we do and get this scourge resolved.'

Pirates shot dead four U.S. hostages on a private yacht in waters off Somalia on February 22, the deadliest incident yet involving Americans kidnapped for ransom in an expanding lawless maritime region crossed by key shipping lanes.

Clinton said that existing efforts to stop the piracy, which include naval patrols by a number of nations, had failed to significantly dent pirate operations which are increasingly distorting world fuel trade due to higher insurance premiums."
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Merchant Vessel Defense Against Pirates





Preemptive Measures Can Prevent Boarding and Hostage Taking



Too often, ship operators fail to take proper anti-piracy security measures, effectively turning their merchant vessels into “Golden Geese” ripe for the taking, writes the author. He goes on to discuss proven methods of hardening commercial ships and training their crews to prevent pirates – whether from Somalia or elsewhere – from boarding vessels and taking crews hostage.