Transitional Federal Government Of Somalia News

Speaking at the opening of the two-day Marine Counter Piracy Conference, which runs in its 2nd edition in the Gulf Arab Emirate (UAE) of Dubai, the widely internationally recognized Somali president said that his country was suffering immensely from piracy. Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, President of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia said: "Criminal acts from pirates range from illegal fishery, violent seizure of foreign cargo ships, killings and rape. The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia has been fighting since 2006 against Al Shabaab insurgents. In August 2011, the government forces managed to force the Shabaab militia, regarded by the United States as an affiliate of the Al-Qaida network, completely out of the Somali capital Mogadishu.

Following the decision taken on 23 March 2012 by the Council of the European Union to allow the EU Naval Force to take disruption action against known pirate supplies on the shore, EU forces recently conducted an operation to destroy pirate equipment on the Somali coastline. The operation was conducted in accordance with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1851 and has the full support of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. The focused, precise and proportionate action was conducted from the air and all forces returned safely to EU warships on completion.

It is likely that Somali pirates will soon raise the level of lethal violence with the result that there will be “small wars” on the open sea, according to security expert Casey Christie. “Pirates will kill more people, including hostages and security officers” he warned. Christie, who is the managing director of Concept Tactical Worldwide, based in London, says this lethal escalation is a logical development of the way in which the pirate scourge is currently being handled by the international community. “For a long time the shipping lines were very reluctant to place armed men aboard their vessels for fear of an arms escalation race between the private security firms and the Somali pirates.

IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos expressed concern that adverse weather conditions and other contributing factors may bring about an accident to the supertanker Maran Centaurus – hijacked by pirates on 29 November 2009 with a cargo of 2 million barrels of crude oil – possibly resulting in an environmental catastrophe off the coast of Somalia, where the vessel is currently being held. The vessel, with a 28-member crew, was some 800 miles from the Seychelles Islands when it was hijacked and then taken to an area off the port of Hobyo in Somalia. Weather conditions are said to be changing for the worse in the area which, coupled with reported unsafe anchorage conditions…

At the invitation of IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, a meeting took place involving the heads of the four shipping industry bodies known collectively as the Round Table (BIMCO, ICS/ISF, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO), and of the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The meeting aimed at exploring common approaches, additional to measures already taken, to address the increasingly serious incidence of piracy attacks on shipping off the coast of Somalia and, in particular, in the Gulf of Aden – a strategic corridor leading to the Red Sea and to the Suez Canal, which represents a key conduit for almost 12 percent of the world’s crude oil, not to mention other energy, container and general bulk traffic.

IMO's Strategic Plan for the next six years and High-level Action Plan for the next two years were updated by the Organization's highest governing body, the Assembly, when it met for its 25th regular session from 19 to 30 November, 2007. The Assembly also approved the Organization's budget for the next two years, elected a new Council, confirmed the re-appointment of Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos for a further term and adopted a wide range of technical and other resolutions. IMO's high-level action plan sets out in detail the planned "outputs" for the biennium and links them to the six-year strategic plan. The new strategic plan supersedes the previous version, and identifies strategic directions that will enable IMO to achieve its mission objectives in the years ahead.

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has welcomed the recent action taken by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to address the threat of piracy and armed robbery against ships off the coast of Somalia as both timely and appropriate and has stated his intention to raise the matter with members of the UN Security Council on his return to New York. At a meeting in London today, IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, briefed Mr. Ban on the decision taken by the IMO Council, at a meeting in London last month, authorizing him to request Mr. Ban to bring the piracy situation off Somalia, once again, to the attention of the UN Security Council…

The IMO Council, meeting for its 98th session in London, has agreed further action to address the continuing incidence of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships sailing in waters off the coast of Somalia and, in particular, ships carrying humanitarian aid to the country. The Council endorsed the proposal of IMO Secretary-General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos that United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon be requested to bring, once again, the piracy situation off Somalia to the attention of the UN Security Council, so that the Security Council can, in turn, request the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia to take action, as it may be deemed necessary and appropriate in the circumstances…