Pirates Attack Cruise Ship Nautica
Military Build Up in the Gulf of Aden After Latest Attacks
Dec 8, 2008
Somali pirates have once again terrorised commercial shipping by attempting to intercept the cruise ship M/S Nautica as it passed through the Gulf of Aden early Sunday morning November 30th. In what would have been the largest cruise ship to be captured by pirates in the Gulf, swift evasion tactics from the Nautica’s captain Jurica Brajcic ensured the cruise liner would not be the latest victim in a long line of piracy attempts along the embattled coast.
The situation escalated when the cruise liner was approached by two skiffs at a range of about 1,000 yards before being spotted by the Office on Duty and classed as potentially hostile. During the pursuit one of the pirate skiffs was able to close within a distance of 300 yards to the cruise liner fleeing at flank, but was unable to complete the interception.
Whilst the 30,000 tonne cruise liner with 1,000 guests and crew onboard was able to avoid any direct contact with the pirates, up to eight shots were fired from the pursuing skiffs before ultimately withdrawing their chase.
Oceania Cruises media contact Tim Rubacky said through a statement on the company’s website “All guests and crew aboard were safe with no injuries reported and that international authorities including members of the anti-piracy task force patrolling the area where the M/S Nautica was travelling were notified during and after the hijacking attempts”.
Throughout the past twelve months pirates have been responsible for more than ninety two attacks on commercial shipping mostly concentrated in the Gulf of Aden. Whilst thirty nine percent have been successful, fourteen of the ships still remain in the control of piracy organisations pending payment of outstanding ransoms.
Somalia with its non-functioning government has been a breeding ground for piracy in recent years with mostly ex-fisherman and villagers taking to the open seas desperate for income. With no domestic policy or nationally recognised governing body to fight piracy, international communities are left to intervene with their own security measures in order to stabilise economic shipping.
This latest hijacking attempt has given pace to the global outcry from a growing number of countries including China who are denouncing piracy and urging for a stronger international commitment to the growing problem. With the passage through the Gulf of Aden accounting for twelve percent of the world’s seaborne oil trade and nearly fifty percent of seaborne dry bulk, world governments are now joining chorus with private companies in a bid to stamp out piracy.
China’s prominent military strategist Major-General Jin Yinan said through a recent Reuters Africa statement “I believe the Chinese navy should send naval vessels to the Gulf of Aden to carry out anti-piracy duties, if one day the Chinese Navy sends ships to deal with pirates, nobody should be shocked”.
China’s plans to protect its international shipping and sea lane economy comes on the back of statements from the U.N Security Council released on Tuesday December 2nd that state it has renewed its authorisation for countries to use military force against piracy operating out of anarchic Somalia.
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