Turning Tide
The unrelenting rise in piracy attacks could be stemmed, if the speech of a British minister is any indication.
Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham, speaking to the British Chamber of Shipping, referred to the need to step up counter-piracy measures on a collective basis.
He also mentioned a “more robust response to piracy” and some recent successful actions against the pirates.
The words of the Foreign Minister echo those heard at an All-Party Parliamentary Group, where the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) spoke on the progress being made to protect vessels.
Addressing the group, SAMI stated, “For too long there has been a rising tide of piracy which has threatened to swamp us, finally it seems that we are talking about solutions rather than problems. There is still a long way to go, but with the will of all parties to engage and work towards safeguarding seafarers and shipping perhaps we are seeing if not the beginning of the end, but at least the end of the beginning”.
