Ships pulled back from fear of pirates
UAE shipowners recall ships from Somali waters


United Arab Emirates' shipowners have told their vessels to pull out of Somali waters and either go to neutral seas or return to port, it is being reported.

This follows the hijacking of two UAE vessels this month, names given as mv NISHAN and mv NIMUTALLAH, by pirates near the the Somali port of Mogadishu.

Ajay Bhatai, the Dubai-based shipping operator has instructed his vessels to return to port. His company owns the VEESHAM 1 which was hijacked by pirates off the Somali coast with a four-member Indian crew last year.

Abdi Hassan of Mogadishu Shipping is also recalling his ships according to The Emirates Evening Post and was quoted as saying that the move will result in marginal losses to company. “But it is better to be safe than sorry,”

Shipowners are calling for more international attention to the situation, following a spate of hi-jackings over the past year, including ships laden with food aid. (See separate item here)

Political unrest and a weak government is blamed for the rise in pirate activity in the region. Most of the vessels that go to Somalia are from the UAE and according to the Dubai Business Council, they have faced an 'alarming' rate of hijacking in the last three years.

The International Maritime Bureau which monitors piracy attacks released a statement three days ago saying there had been a marked increase in attacks and hijackings off the Southern part of Somalia, particularly off Mogadishu recently.

The attacks are mainly targeted towards vessels with cargo for Somali ports it said and that vessels are advised to steer well clear of Somali waters at all times and only approach once full clearance to enter the port has been received.

This follows optimism expressed only in January of this year that piracy was on the decline. In 2006, said the IMB, there were 239 attacks on ships, compared to 276 in 2005 and 329 in 2004 based on statistics compiled by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur.