Jacaylbaro Posted October 1, 2010 There is already a multi-national naval force patrolling the seas off Somalia. But is it enough? There is evidence of pirates evading the patrols by spreading their activities east towards India and down south as far as the Maldives. For the insurance companies, having already lost hundreds of millions of dollars in ransom payments, the answer is in the private sector. They are considering a private fleet - about 20 patrol boats with armed guards, costing around $16mn - to escort ships passing through the Suez Canal and the Indian Ocean. Several shipping firms seem to be on board already, and even the British government is said to be considering the idea. But who would control this private force - and pay its costs? And is military escalation at sea necessarily the answer to a problem whose roots lie in poverty and political chaos on land? Inside Story, with presenter Teymoor Nabili, discusses with Simon Jones, the director of Triton International, which are partners with the Somaliland coastguard, Mohamed Gure, the chairman of Somalia Concern group, and Peter Cook, a former royal officer and founder of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry, SAMI. This episode of Inside Story aired from Wednesday, September 29, 2010. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Amistad Posted October 2, 2010 Seems like a lot of associated and assumed legal risks involved with this. Whatever flag of whatever country they are allowed to fly under via Letter of Marque assumes all the risk and will be held responsible if things go sideways. Maybe they are barking up the wrong tree trying to get this via the UK Govt. Getting the LOM from the TFG, Puntland and Somaliland govts/regions would make more sense from a legal and monetary standpoint to me. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
