Kisumu
  17/12/07
 
ASSOCIATION CALLS FOR A JOINT FORCE TO CHECK ON PIRATES IN AFRICA’S WATER.

By Leo Odera Omolo

The Association of the Port Management Eastern and Southern Africa (PMAESA) is in full support for the establishment of the maritime force possibly as a maritime component of the Africa’s stand by Force against piracy in the high seas.

The Association Secretary General Mr. Jerome Ntibarekerwa says the issue of the possibility of the regional maritime force being established to check the nagging pirate in Africa has been debated exhaustively.

‘’This has been the latest debate as Somali water remain a major danger zone to fishing cruise and cargo vessels.

In a policy statement carried out in the latest PMAESA newsletter entitled ‘Our Ports’’ Ntibarekerwa called for a bilateral and multilateral engagement in the form of continued conferences, exercises and joint operations.

‘’Those opportunities will help foster good relations, share and standardize best practices and develop information and intelligence regime,’’ he says.

Earlier this year, some ship operators in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa had suggested that the government should provide armed escort to commercial ships plying between Mombasa port and Somali waters. The demands followed the capture of Mombasa based vessels by Somali pirates as they delivered relief food for the UN World Food Programme.

However, Transport Minister Chirau Ali Makwere, ruled out such as arrangement, citing international conventions to which Kenya is a party.

In February, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and the transitional government of Somalia proposed the formation of a joint task force to conduct anti-piracy and collective reporting activities.

Two weeks ago, a leading sailors welfare organization the Seafarers Assistance Programme (SAP) supported the United Nations Security Council’s decision to address piracy and armed robbery facing vessels sailing off the coast of Somalia.

SAP national co-coordinator, Andrew Mwangura, warned fishing vessels to keep away from Somali waters, apart from being in danger, the presence of such vessels in Somali was largely illegal and contrary to the UN convention of Law of the sea. ‘’It was a great joy to see the Taiwanese fishing vessel, Ms Cheng Fong Hwa 168 calling on Mombasa port two weeks ago after spending more than six months in captivity in Somalia,’’ Mwangura said.

He said the ill-fated vessel and her 16 crew members comprised two Taiwanese, two Phillipinos and 12 Chinese were hijacked by Somali gunmen on April 18 this year while on a fishing expedition in Somali fishing grounds.

They were released after Taiwanese ship-owners paid a ransom.

Narrating their six-month ordeal, the crew said the pirates shot and injured one crewmember a few days before brutally exempting another.

The pirates robbed them of their personal belonging before releasing them.

Mwangara said fishing in Somalia coastal line waters was illegal and all foreign fishing vessels must stay away ‘’since illegal fishing vessels are using Mombasa port as their port of convenience, we call upon the Kenya maritime Authority to reactivate port state control on fishing vessels in accordance with the international plan of Action (IPOA) against illegal fishing,’’ he said.

IPOA calls for landing of illegal caught fish to be prohibited by all states and access to point or its facilities denied for illegal fishing vessels. It also calls for detention and arrest for illegal fishing vessels should they enter seaports.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com