Pointing The Finger

Ecoterra, an organisation run by volunteers from in and outside Somalia, has become increasingly high profile as its piracy reporting  has become the mainstay of many a news source.

Given the recent taking of the Chandlers and now the American yacht crew, Ecoterra has pointed the finger at EUNAVFOR for not taking  the plight of yachts seriously.

The organisation claims that the naval assets are too concerned with monitoring what they term “high-value vessels”. According to a statement from Ecoterra, “Currently many yachts are waiting for a safe opportunity to do the passage from the Indian Ocean into the Mediterranean Sea through the Gulf of Aden, termed now the pirate alley, because the navies have persistently refused to safeguard or escort these ships”.

While it is without doubt a major inconvenience to be denied a safe passage up to Suez, it would be a very foolhardy yacht master that took the decision to push on regardless. While the criticism may be correct, it would seem that with such a vast area of sea to police then priorities have to be arrived at. Unfortunately for the yachts, commercial shipping is taking all the attention.