It may seem like this blog is mashing together two disparate issues, but bear with me as I attempt to bring it all neatly together.
Issue 1: The Joint War Committee has expanded the geographic area in the Indian Ocean, subject to higher insurance premiums, due to the widening scope of attacks on shipping by Somali pirates, extending the area further east, reports Lloyd's List recently. The premise of the article is how the higher insurance costs and risk of hijack continues to plague not only the shipping industry, but by simple extension of cost, also the consumer, as world economy and trade will eventually bear the burden of those costs; or at least that's what it 'could' be saying if you paid for a subscription to Lloyd's List.
Do not misconstrue, LL provide a plethora of information relating to the shipping industry. It is one of the foremost commentators on shipping. Granted, there is much to be said for 'paid content', as some online daily newspapers have adopted, but when the matter of seafarers posting on social media outlets, such as Facebook and Twitter, not to mention the profusion of blogs (yes, like this one!), websites and forums, the article in LL with the headline "Social media shock for shipowners" neatly demonstrates the complexity of the issue. Let me elaborate...
Issue 2: The LL article states "SHIPOWNERS ignorant about social media and its influence are largely unaware of private material crews have posted on Facebook, Twitter and other freely available websites, waiting to surface at inopportune moments". The problem within the shipping community is the vast, disparate, some areas dated, but varied aspects of the industry. No one organisation has the ability to adroitly manage the huge companies, operators, owners, charters etc in how to run social media. It seems that loose lips (keyboards and keypads) do not exactly sink ships, but they can bring shipowners into discussions they would much rather not bring out to the general purview.
It just does not work like that. The shipping industry wants the public to be more aware of the influence shipping has on the world trade and economy. Sharing information to raise awareness of the pressures, dangers and importance of the industry is a two-way channel. The public, at home with access to social media easily to hand, is reflected in the seafarers who wish to do the same at sea. The increase in social media usage is a worldwide phenomenon. The whole world is talking. Looking at the uprisings across the Middle East, the disasters which have struck Japan and New Zealand, for instance; all covered via Google, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. The maritime community cannot remain resolutely detached from social media. Ignorance, like in law, is not an excuse.
It is time to move on. Yes, sensitive information should be safeguarded, it makes sense, but information is a way of everyday life. This is not a data protection matter either, just the issues that affect the safety and well-being of those serving at sea. Whether work-related or personal, the seafarer has greater connectivity than ever before. Remember using Morse code, radio telephone calls, telegrams, snail mail once in harbour, then email (quickly becoming snail-like)? They are either past it or are becoming passe.
Social media provides instant access and rapid exchange of views. No company or organisation can escape being talked about, no matter if it is the general public, the customer, or the staff. The beast is too big to be controlled (unless it is Google, Facebook, Microsoft or Apple). Take a look at some of the stats surrounding social media. A 2010 study mentioned a somewhat surprising stat: "75% of employers say their business has no formal policy instructing employees on the appropriate use of social networking sites on the job." The study "Employer Perspectives on Social Networking" compiled from 34,000 businesses in 35 countries, is covered in greater depth by Brian Solis article 'The Rules of Social Media Engagement' (www.briansolis.com). As Brian says "Social Media represents the democratization of information and the equalization of influence", the problem is the confusion of effective engagement with everyday chatter. Assigning the task of social media (if the company is aware of its existence) is usually to a junior staff member, because they understand how to use it.
In the maritime industry, the junior staff coming through have grown up with the ever present Internet and see it as a natural extension of their life. In fact, access to the Internet is now a human right in some European countries. The Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) said governments must "regard the Internet as basic infrastructure - just like roads, waste and water" (BBC News). So to remain resolutely ignorant, or choose to ignore social media in such a huge industry as shipping, is not exactly an offence, but could be in some countries.
As Brian Solis goes on to say "In order for businesses to maximize the opportunity present within social networks, we must place engagement in the hands of those representatives qualified and trained to do so effectively and strategically."
If you need more evidence of why social media is important, whether you like it or not, see what Erik Qualman has to say on his site Socialnomics - its bigger than you think. If the shipowners are shocked at what their employees are saying, they are in for a far greater shock to see what is being said by everyone else who has moved on. "It's a people driven economy stupid" (Equalman).
If seafarers are worried about sailing across pirate infested waters, they are most certainly going to talk about it, whether with their families and therefore the public, and/or their fellow seafarers. Social media at sea is growing and will only get bigger. Does that mash it together?
Thursday 31 March 2011
Monday 14 March 2011
UN Concerned Over 'Grave Threat' of Somali Piracy
Original from Beijing Today Blog
The U.N. Security Council expressed its deep concerns about the “grave threat” caused by piracy in Somalia on Thursday, the same day an attempt by Somali security forces to free a Danish family from a pirate gang failed when would-be rescuers were ambushed.
The Security Council’s day-long open debate on Somalia was organized weeks ago by China, which holds the council’s rotating presidency. The council condemned the ongoing violence, including hostage taking, murder and other violent acts.
A senior official in Somali’s autonomous region of Puntland said five soldiers were killed and vehicles were burned on Thursday when pirates ambushed government forces trying to rescue the Danish couple, their three children and two crew members.
The family was kidnapped two weeks ago after pirates seized their 43-foot (13-meter) sailboat. In another failed rescue attempt two weeks ago, U.S. forces hoping to save four American hostages later discovered that pirates had killed all the captives.
A pirate told The Associated Press that the Danish hostages were safe and still being held.
The Security Council said it “recognizes that the ongoing instability in Somalia contributes to the problem of piracy and armed robbery” and stressed the need for a “comprehensive response” to tackle piracy and its root causes.
The 15-member body charged with helping ensure the world’s peace and security called on U.N. member states for urgent donations to support the U.N. mission in Somalia, known as AMISOM. It also called for the full deployment of 4,000 more peacekeepers to deal with the increasing violence.
Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, an attempt to rebuild national institutions after civil war, needs to speed up reconciliation among differing groups and complete a constitution before the transitional period ends in August, the council said.
Somalia has not had a functioning government in two decades. Piracy flourishes off the coast, with ransoms recently climbing into the millions of dollars and pirates holding hostages for longer periods.
The Somali Transitional Federal Government (TFG) Prime Minister, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, told the UN Security Council debate that Somalia faced "two evils, the scourge of piracy and the plague of terrorism", and stated that "Not only are these two ills working in tandem, bu they are learning from each other." He gave a stark warning that there is the potential for the hijacking of tankers to be used "as deadly weapons" by al Qaeda's agents in Somalia, along the lines of September 2001 terror attacks in America (Reuters).
There is a great deal of tragic news going around right now; more than is usual, but the plight of the seafarers held hostage, both ashore and at sea, must not be forgotten in all of this. Recovery from disaster, no matter how devastating, does happen and people continue with their lives. The daily threat of being harshly treated, or even killed, is an ongoing torture that few have to face. In your prayers for those affected by global disasters, remember those held against their will by pirates, and the families who rarely, if at all, hear from those taken when going about their work. Where is the aid for them?
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Shipping Campaign Calls on 'People Power' Against Somali Piracy
It has taken off very rapidly and has spread globally, so who are we to omit it from our blog...
Press briefing
1 March, 2011
Shipping chiefs call on ‘people power’ to pressure governments to crack down on Somali pirates now throttling vital trade routes
Ship owners and seafarers are calling on ‘people power’ to push their governments to act now and show the political will to resolve the growing Somali piracy crisis before it strangles world trade and before more innocent seafarers are tortured and murdered.
The SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign, launched today by BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), the International Shipping Federation (ISF), Intercargo, INTERTANKO and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF), is aimed at encouraging millions of people around the world to heap pressure on their national Governments to crack down on piracy. They are calling on YOUR help.
The Somali piracy crisis affects you and every one of us worldwide. The dramatic recent extension of the pirates’ operating area right across the Indian Ocean** means that there are now no alternative routes to avoid the Somali pirate gangs, especially for tankers coming out of the Gulf. Ship owners and seafarers are re-evaluating their current determination to ensure that these vital trade routes remain open, and are going to have to choose whether to trade through this area or not.
Merchant ships are being attacked daily, running a gauntlet of gunfire and rocket propelled grenade attacks from armed gangs of Somali pirates. Over 800 seafarers are currently held hostage on their hijacked ships. Subjected to physical and psychological abuse for months at a time, they are held ransom for millions of dollars.
Yet even when caught red handed by naval forces, 80% of pirates are released to attack again. Why? Because the world’s politicians don’t realise the severity of this critical situation. The governments give the orders. The governments hold the key to resolving this crisis. But they seem unwilling to face reality and act. Their brief to the naval forces is simply to deter and disrupt, unless it involves a national interest.
Enough is enough. The Round Table of international shipping associations (RT) and the ITF are placing hard-hitting advertisements in key major international newspapers on 1 March to kick off the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign which highlights the plight of seafarers and, with six specific requests, brings pressure to bear on governments to show more political will and fewer legalistic excuses in dealing with Somali piracy.
Six specific requests
We are specifically asking for governments to recognise the threat to our seafarers and the world economy, and take the necessary steps to eradicate piracy at sea and ashore by:
- Reducing the effectiveness of the easily-identifiable pirate motherships.
- Authorising naval forces to detain pirates and deliver them for prosecution and punishment.
- Fully criminalising all acts of piracy and intent to commit piracy under national laws in accordance with their mandatory duty to co-operate to suppress piracy under international conventions.
- Increasing naval assets available in this area.
- Providing greater protection and support for seafarers.
- Tracing and criminalising the organisers and financiers behind the criminal networks.
SOS Save our Seafarers
The RT and the ITF have launched a new website for the SOS Save Our Seafarers campaign http://www.saveourseafarers.com/. Just two clicks and supporters can send a pre-prepared letter, signed by them, to their chosen heads of government. The website will also have up-to-the minute information on the piracy situation, and an SOS TV page with film clips and pictures.
Piracy is out of control – background**
As pirates use hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) to extend their reach almost to India ’s coast some 1,500 miles from Somalia , the lawlessness has spread right across the Indian Ocean through which half the world’s oil supply passes. Tankers coming from the Gulf and the Middle East can no longer avoid the pirates – and a hijacked tanker with 2 million barrels of oil represents 20% of daily oil imports to the USA
In addition to the human cost, piracy is strangling key supply routes and costing the global economy $12 billion a year.
We rely on freedom of the seas for the safe delivery of 90% of our food, fuel, raw materials, humanitarian aid and manufactured goods. Shipping serves international trade and assists economic activity and therefore regional stability in neighbouring countries. This freedom to serve world trade is threatened.
Quotable quotes
“It’s time for Governments across the world to take firm action against the pirates that attack and hijack our ships. The current practice of releasing apprehended pirates without trial is a disgrace to our seafarers and to the international conventions. The upholding of international law and order is being grossly neglected.”
BIMCO President, Robert Lorenz-Meyer
“Pirates are getting stronger, more violent and richer every day as a result of inertia by Governments. On behalf of all the major shipping organisations, we’re calling for help from Governments to tackle this human and economic terror being inflicted upon innocent seafarers. We hope that by working together and encouraging support from the global community we can ease the current crisis of Somali piracy.”
ITF General Secretary, David Cockroft
“Piracy is out of control. The pirates’ extended reach through the use of hijacked merchant ships (so-called motherships) means that for tankers coming from the Gulf, there is no longer an optional route to avoid the risk of hijacking – and one captured tanker with 2m barrels of oil represents one fifth of U.S. daily oil imports. Governments need to protect the world’s shipping lanes by showing political will, not political indifference.”
INTERTANKO Chairman, Capt Graham Westgarth
“Politicians don’t realise the severity of this crisis. Escalation affects our seafarers first and foremost, but the potential effect on world trade and regional stability will affect us all. Governments can no longer afford to simply to deter and disrupt the pirates.”
Intercargo Chairman, Nicky Pappadakis
“We are drawing to the urgent attention of governments and inter-governmental organizations the recent deeply concerning shift in the modus operandi of Somali pirates, particularly where torture and murder of innocent seafarers is involved. The impact of this growing crisis on the welfare of seafarers and on trading patterns has to be understood by politicians and the public alike.”
Chairman of ICS/ISF, Spyros M Polemis
Contacts:
The Round Table of international shipping associations:
ITF Sam Dawson dawson_sam@itf.org Phone +44 20 7940 9260
Memoirs of 8 Months with Somali Pirates
The following tale is an account of being held captive by Somali pirates. The Vietnamese seafarers' experiences at the hand of the notorious Somali pirates includes how they were used as a mothership to rob other vessels, and tellingly, how the crew managed to be released from pirate control.
 |
| Sailor Tran Van Tri |
VietNamNet Bridge – “While we were dropping an anchor, we saw a high-speed canoe approaching. Somali pirates holding machine-guns got close to the ship, overpowered the captain and other sailors,” Tran Van Tri, 22, who has just returned home after eight months seized by Somali pirates, recalled.
Tri, from Quynh Long commune in the central province of Nghe An, became a fisherman after leaving junior secondary school. In September 2009, his parents borrowed money from a bank to cover labour exporting fees for him. Since then, Tri was recruited as a sailor of Tai Yuan 277, a tuna fishing boat of Taiwan.
In May 2010, while fishing tuna in the Indian Ocean, Tri’s vessel was seized by a group of Somali pirates. “Several minutes later, another group of Somali men appeared with machine-guns. They forced all sailors to go to the board and searched through the boat to take all cash and assets. The pirates told the captain to steer the ship to Somalia. The ship was ordered to land in a closed and wild sea, where many other fishing boats were detained.
“In Somalia, the pirated classified sailors into Vietnamese, Korean, Chinese, Indonesian, etc. and forced them to do different works. They beat anyone who opposed and threatened to kill them,” Tri recalled.
The pirates allowed the captain to get contact with the Taiwanese ship owner but they could not contact the owner. The pirates were very angry and they asked the captain to seek way to get contact with the owner to ask for ransom. As they could not contact Taiwan, the pirates used the ship and sailors to rob other ships. Two months after the arrest, Somali pirates permitted sailors to call home for three minutes.
“I was crying on my bed when I heard a strange phone call. I had a feeling that this was my son’s call. We talked for three minutes but I cried for two minutes,” said Tri’s mother, Tran Thi Hue.
On January 20 2011, after robbing a big fishing ship in the Indian Ocean, the pirates asked the captain to steer the ship to its dock. While the ship was running, the chief mechanic told the pirates that the ship was out of fuel. Five pirates searched the ship but they didn’t see any oil can left. They thought that the ship was out of oil so they released the ship and all sailors.
“When the pirates left the big ship that they had just robbed, we embraced each other for happiness. All of us cried because they were released by the pirates unconditionally,” Tri said.
After a while, all sailors were very worried because the ship was out of fuel but the Chinese chief mechanic laughed and told sailors that there were over ten tons of oil hidden in the ship. “We hurriedly supplied fuel for the ship and run to Sri Lanka,” Tri continued.
The ship landed in Sri Lanka 12 days later. The captain got contact with the Taiwanese Consulate in Sri Lanka. Sailors called home and they were assisted with their journey home. On March 3, Tri and two other Vietnamese sailors from Ha Tinh and Kon Tum provinces arrived home safely.
Tri’s father, Tran Van Uon, said: “I heard that my son was captured by pirates. I though that he would not return but I still had to encourage my wife and my mother. We prayed for him everyday and he has returned”.
Nearly 1000 young people in Tri’s commune – Quynh Long – work as sailors on foreign fishing ships. Tri said that Somali pirates don’t kill or maltreat Vietnamese hostages because they know that Vietnamese sailors are very poor. He said that hostages were also supplied with rice and water.
Source: VNE
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