Somalian piracy returns

by Richard Kilner

Story link: Somalian piracy returns

After monsoon rains Somalian pirates have resumed activity in the Gulf of Aden, Lloyd’s of London has warned.

The number of piratical attacks in the first nine months of this year already exceed the 2008 full-year total, with gun usage up 200% on a like-for-like comparison with 2008.

Of the 661 individuals taken hostage by pirates this year, eight are missing and six have been killed.

Aon’s kidnap and ransom team leader Clive Stoddart has urged ship owners to review their insurance coverage if they intend travelling through the Gulf of Aden or parts of the Indian Ocean.

Typical marine policies frequently do not provide coverage against piracy, Stoddart advises, whereas specialist marine kidnap and ransom policies may be a better option for those venturing into dangerous waters.

Piracy is widely seen as a resurgent Somalian problem, and whilst it is true that the worst and most frequent incidents occur near the Horn of Africa in August this year pirates seized a cargo ship in the Baltic Sea, demanding a $1.5m ransom and threatening to sink it if their demand was not met.

The pirates in question were subsequently detained by the Russian authorities.