UN Piracy Plans

The role of the IMO and UN in the fight against piracy will be the focus of a meeting to be held in London next week.

Amongst discussions will be the possibility of a unified United Nations command structure to bring a centralised control structure to the fight against piracy.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) is spearheading the coordination, and senior military and diplomatic representatives from more than 20 governments participating in naval operations off the Somali coast will attend the meeting.

These moves have emerged after meetings between security representatives and industry officials, with IMO secretary general Efthimios Mitropoulos highlighting the need for high-level support for the anti-piracy campaign.

Mr Mitropoulos said a clear strategic deployment of  ships and more robust rules of engagement were necessary. “I consider it farcical that  pirates are apprehended, taken to the Somali coast and then released  so they can do it all over again,”  Mr Mitropoulos said.