THECHAMBEROFSHIPPINGANNUALREVIEW2011–2012
exposed, remains the major concern. The Save Our Seafarers (SOS) Campaign, which has been wholeheartedly endorsed by the Chamber, has made a significant impact on public and political awareness. The profile of the crisis was drawn to the attention
of the international community at the United Nations and a further six United Nations Security Council resolutions on Somalia were passed during 2011. Piracy was also the theme of the International
Maritime Organisation’s Action Plan 2011: Piracy: Orchestrating the Response. At a national level, piracy has been kept on the National Security Council agenda and Chamber relations with the Minister of Africa, Henry Bellingham MP, have been particularly close and effective. In October, the minister used the Chamber to announce several important new initiatives recognising the central role of shipping and trade, strengthening the partnership approach to counter-piracy and describing new capacity-building measures to help Somalia improve its security and stability in order to reduce poverty and criminal activity.
dangerous piracy threat, but our seafarers still face daunting challenges. Although it is likely that the threat of piracy will be with us for a considerable time, the first tentative signs of a reduction in the number of pirate successes evident at the tail end of 2011 may signal an improving trend. During 2011, the Somali pirate threat dispersed
beyond the Somali coastline across the Indian Ocean. Pirate action groups made a total of 231 attacks on merchant ships – about the same as the previous year – resulting in 26 ships being hijacked and more than 400 seafarers held in captivity. These figures are lower than in 2010 and show that the success rate of attacks has been significantly reduced. This improvement is a result of a combination of factors: better shipboard self-protection measures or ‘best management practices’ (BMPs); more effective military operations by the coalition of navies; and, finally, by the deterrent effect of armed guards which, at the end of the year, were being carried on an increasing number of merchant ships. The plight of seafarers still held in captivity,
and the risks to which UK seafarers are repeatedly
DURING THE PAST
YEAR, THE SHIPPING INDUSTRY HAS MANAGED AND RESPONDED TO THE EXCEPTIONAL AND DANGEROUS PIRACY THREAT, BUT OUR SEAFARERS STILL FACE DAUNTING CHALLENGES
Operational aspects The UK continues to benefit from close operational ties with the Commander of EU NAVFOR at the Royal Navy’s Fleet Headquarters, Northwood. Liaison was maintained by the Merchant Navy Liaison Officers (MNLOs) – nearly 30 individual merchant officers have served in that voluntary role since 2008. Regular meetings of the Senior Leadership Forum were also held, where a frank and informative exchange of military and industry views took place. Operational discussions during the year have
focused on the industry-developed BMPs that detail the self-protection measures ships implement when transiting the piracy High Risk Area. The fourth edition was published in August 2011 and 50,000 copies were distributed to the international trading fleet. The forum also reviewed the use of citadels as a secure refuge, as well as the carriage of armed security personnel on civilian ships and the interaction of those personnel with the military. The concept and effectiveness of citadels
improved during the year, as evidence accumulated of the valuable contribution they could make to the safety of the crew and the ability of the ship to resist attacks. Revised, carefully worded text was agreed with the military in August 2011. Since then, although the use of citadels is not appropriate in
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