IMO calls on UN to take tougher action on piracy

Published 24 November 2008

The International Maritime Organizations urges countries with the naval capacity to do so “to take part actively in the fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships”

The secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Efthimios Mitropoulos, has issued a call at the highest level for a coordinated and cohesive response, both internationally and nationally, to combat the scourge of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

On Thursday, in a personal briefing to the UN Security Council, which met to discuss UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon’s report on the situation in Somalia, Mitropoulos told Security Council members about the scope and extent of the problem which, he said, was a matter of grave concern. He also outlined a series of actions the Security Council might consider taking to address the situation. In particular, he requested that the Security Council take appropriate action:

  • to extend the validity of the mandate in paragraph 7 of resolution 1816;
  • to call upon states interested in the safety and environmentally sound function of shipping activities, that have the capacity to do so, to take part actively in the fight against piracy and armed robbery against ships (including “mother ships”) off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden;
  • to strengthen and enhance the provisions of resolutions 1816 and 1838, particularly with respect to having clear rules of engagement for participating units to facilitate the disruption of pirate operations; and
  • to urge States, with due regard to their obligations under international law, to establish an effective legal jurisdiction to bring alleged offenders to justice.

Mitropoulos told the Security Council of IMO’s threefold concern to:

  • protect seafarers, fishermen and passengers on ships sailing off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden;
  • ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to Somalia effected by ships chartered by the World Food Program; and
  • preserve the integrity of the shipping lane through the Gulf of Aden, given its strategic importance and significance to shipping and trade east and west of the Suez Canal.