Major shippers skirt Gulf of Aden to avoid pirates

Somalia is probably the Biggest Cess pool in the world! the Pirates should be dealt with swiftly when they are seen!( I wonder what the Indian navy ,Guided missile ship is for?)
As for going back into Somalia , Forget it ! with the Animosity towards the U.S.these days let someone else figure this one out!

MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Rampant piracy off Somalia is forcing shipping companies to avoid the Suez Canal and send cargoes of oil and other goods on a longer journey around southern Africa, industry officials said on Thursday.

Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk is routing some of its 50 oil tankers around the Cape of Good Hope instead and Intertanko said many other tanker firms were doing the same.

Norway's Frontline, which ferries much of the Middle East's oil to world markets, said it was considering a similar step.

They were responding to Saturday's spectacular capture by Somali pirates of a Saudi Arabian supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of oil, the biggest ship hijacking in history.

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Scores of attacks in Somali waters this year have driven up insurance costs for shipping firms and the decision to divert cargo around South Africa risks pushing up prices for manufactured goods and commodities.

"We need immediate action from governments to protect these vital trade lanes -- robust action in the form of greater naval and military support with a clear mandate to engage, to arrest pirates and to bring them to trial," Intertanko said.

The head of the International Maritime Organization, Efthimios Mitropoulos, warned of "a series of negative repercussions" if ships had to reroute.

He said going around the Cape added about 12 days to a typical Gulf-to-Europe voyage, delaying oil supplies, and potentially raising freight rates by 25 to 30 percent.

Mitropoulos urged the U.N. Security Council to strengthen the mandate of anti-piracy forces with "clear rules of engagement" and to make states bring to justice pirates they captured.

PEACE ON LAND

Forces from NATO, the European Union and elsewhere are trying to protect vessels on one of the world's busiest shipping routes, linking Europe to Asia. Many analysts say there can be no lasting end to the piracy without peace on land.

"It must be addressed by relevant authorities and the international community," said Soren Skou, Maersk partner and board member. "It is not a problem that A.P. Moller-Maersk or the shipping industry can solve alone."

The African Union's top diplomat, Jean Ping, said on Thursday the United Nations should send peacekeepers to Somalia urgently to stop the strife that is fuelling piracy and is aggravated by feuding politicians in Somalia.

The U.N. Security Council voted on Thursday to impose sanctions on anyone contributing to violence and instability in Somalia.

The British-drafted resolution calls for asset freezes and travel bans for anyone engaging in or supporting violence, including individuals or companies that violate a 1992 U.N. arms embargo against the country. more at reuters