Pirates force shippers to re-route

Global - AP Moller Maersk has confirmed that it will seek an alternative route from the pirate-infested waters of Somalia, after an astonishing hijack of a Saudi Arabian supertanker.

"Vessels without adequate speed or freeboard will for the time being avoid the Gulf of Aden and seek alternative routing south of the Cape of Good Hope and east of Madagascar. However, based upon availability of escorts these vessels may join naval convoy transit in the Gulf of Aden," Maersk said in a statement.

Maersk joins other shippers considering a change of route, after pirates on the troubled waters of Somalia hijacked a Saudi Arabian supertanker loaded with US$100 million worth of oil, the biggest ship hijacking occurrence in history.

"The policy change will primarily impact our tanker vessels," said Soren Skou, partner and member of the executive board in AP Moller-Maersk. "Only three container vessels will be affected and we expect to further limit the impact by redeployment."

Skou stressed the problem to be addressed properly by relevant authorities, adding that it is not a problem that can be solved by the shipping industry alone.

Intertanko agrees, and states in an open letter to governments that "it is our view that immediate and decisive action is required to strike at the very heart of the armed and organised gangs that appear to be operating in the region almost with impunity".

The group also indicated its support of tanker operators who, like Maersk, have declared their intention to avoid the area off Somalia's coasts and in the Gulf of Aden, and to sail instead via the Cape of good Hope and East of Madagascar.

"Our concern remains for the safety of seafarers and for the lack of effective naval protection," Intertanko said. "We need immediate action from governments to support these vital trade lanes - robust action in the form of greater naval and military support with a clear mandate to engage, to arrest pirates and to bring them to trial."