Proceedings magazine is a communication tool for the Coast Guard's Marine Safety & Security Council. Each quarterly magazine focuses on a specific theme of interest to the marine industry.
Issue link: https://uscgproceedings.epubxp.com/i/57858
Anti-Piracy Programs and the Use of Arms Aboard Ships The mariner's perspective. by CAPT. M.J. HIGHT $PHULFDQ 0DULWLPH 2IÀFHUV CDR MIKE RODRIGUEZ, USN Maritime Domain Awareness &RRUGLQDWLRQ; 2IÀFH ড় The human toll of piracy, especially piracy off the coast of Somalia, has reached hor- rifying proportions; the statistics alone are terrifying for mari- ners. The International Maritime Bureau reports that, from January to September 2011, Somali pirates hijacked 23 ships, took 399 hostages, and killed seven. Worldwide, there were 326 ships attacked during that time, resulting in 33 successful hijacks.1 Mariners around the world are deeply and rightly concerned for their safety, since they are the ones who run the risks of captivity, torture, and even death at the hands of pirates. For U.S. mariners, the attack on the cargo ship Maersk Alabama and subsequent abduc- tion of her captain in April 2009 forever changed the way merchant vessels prepare for operating in the vital trade lanes through the Middle East. www.uscg.mil/proceedings Seafaring Labor Effort U.S. mariners are active participants on International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) delegations to the U.N. Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, and attend meetings of the International Maritime Organization's Maritime Safety Committee (IMO MSC). Under this paradigm, the contact group develops anti-piracy practices, and then the IMO cir- culates adopted practices to member states for imple- mentation. While this coordinated maritime industry action is very welcome, there are some differences in views of the various maritime industry organizations and those of mariners. Additionally, anti-piracy practices are useless if not communicated and followed. For example, in 2007, the Danish ship M/V Danica White was hijacked off Somalia. According to ITF doc- XPHQWV RQO\ ÀYH FUHZPHPEHUV ZHUH DERDUG GXULQJ the attack. The master was on the bridge but no other crewmembers were maintaining a piracy watch, and WKH PDVWHU KDG UHFHLYHG QR VSHFLÀF LQVWUXFWLRQV IURP its company regarding the IMO's guidance on operat- ing in a high-risk area.2 This incident became a symbol for the concerns that seafaring labor would come to voice over the anti- Spring 2012 Proceedings 21 Prevention