The European Union's anti-piracy operation may expand the area it patrols because Somali pirates have begun to threaten ships as much as 1,609km from shore, according to the mission's commander. 'We're looking at extending the area of our mandate,' Rear-Admiral Peter Hudson said in an interview in Northwood, the fleet's command centre north of London. 'We're looking at whether we have the assets to do it, whether it would provide more security.'
Atalanta, the EU's one-year old naval mission to combat piracy off the Somali coast, operates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The area stretches from Somali territorial waters east to 60 degrees longitude, which runs south from the eastern tip of Oman and 250 miles east of the Seychelles.
Atalanta, which has six frigates and works with fleets from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the US-led coalition, has cut piracy in the Gulf of Aden, a choke point en route to the Suez Canal that's used by 30,000 ships a year. The last successful hijacking along a corridor that the fleets patrol in the Gulf of Aden was in July.
Instead, pirates have shifted to the Indian Ocean, using skiffs launched from mother ships, often converted fishing trawlers, to attack commercial vessels hundreds of miles out to sea. There have been 12 attacks east of 60 degrees this year, with 11 of them since the summer monsoon ended in September, Atalanta officials say.
Four of those attacks were successful, including a Pakistani fishing vessel taken on Dec 9 and a Greek- owned cargo ship seized last week. Those attacks took place about 1,000 miles from Somali shores.
'We're now seeing attacks that are closer to India than to Somalia,' said RAdm Hudson, who is from the British navy. 'In one case, my closest ship would have taken two-and-a-half days to arrive.'
In the Gulf of Aden, a ship-borne naval helicopter can reach any commercial vessel within 30 minutes.
Extending the mission's area of operations would need to be agreed by leaders of the EU's 27 member states. Last month, the EU extended the mission's mandate for another year, to December 2010.
Atalanta's Indian Ocean operation covers an area 10 times the size of Germany. The patrols have intercepted 14 attempted pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean since the end of the summer monsoon, RAdm Hudson said.
'There's no fleet commander in the world who wouldn't want more assets, but you have to be pragmatic about what member states are willing to contribute.'
Several trade routes cross the Indian Ocean, making a single securitised corridor impossible. Sealing off the Gulf of Aden is easier because almost all passing ships are heading to or from the Suez Canal.
The Atalanta mission costs about 500 million euros (S$1 billion) a year, Didier Lenoir, head of military operations at the EU, said at a conference on Dec 7 in Paris. Each nation pays costs for the ships it contributes.
In total, there are about 25 warships off Somali waters. While the EU and Nato fleets carry out patrols and hunt for pirates, gunboats sent by Russia, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia mostly organise and protect convoys of their nations' merchant ships.
Somali pirates have attacked 160 times so far this year, seizing 44 ships for ransom. They still hold 11 ships and 283 seamen.
Last year, 165 ships were attacked with 43 vessels hijacked. The pirates operate out of lawless ports on the east coast of Somalia, which has lacked an effective central government since the early 1990s.
Atalanta, the EU's one-year old naval mission to combat piracy off the Somali coast, operates in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The area stretches from Somali territorial waters east to 60 degrees longitude, which runs south from the eastern tip of Oman and 250 miles east of the Seychelles.
Atalanta, which has six frigates and works with fleets from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the US-led coalition, has cut piracy in the Gulf of Aden, a choke point en route to the Suez Canal that's used by 30,000 ships a year. The last successful hijacking along a corridor that the fleets patrol in the Gulf of Aden was in July.
Instead, pirates have shifted to the Indian Ocean, using skiffs launched from mother ships, often converted fishing trawlers, to attack commercial vessels hundreds of miles out to sea. There have been 12 attacks east of 60 degrees this year, with 11 of them since the summer monsoon ended in September, Atalanta officials say.
Four of those attacks were successful, including a Pakistani fishing vessel taken on Dec 9 and a Greek- owned cargo ship seized last week. Those attacks took place about 1,000 miles from Somali shores.
'We're now seeing attacks that are closer to India than to Somalia,' said RAdm Hudson, who is from the British navy. 'In one case, my closest ship would have taken two-and-a-half days to arrive.'
In the Gulf of Aden, a ship-borne naval helicopter can reach any commercial vessel within 30 minutes.
Extending the mission's area of operations would need to be agreed by leaders of the EU's 27 member states. Last month, the EU extended the mission's mandate for another year, to December 2010.
Atalanta's Indian Ocean operation covers an area 10 times the size of Germany. The patrols have intercepted 14 attempted pirate attacks in the Indian Ocean since the end of the summer monsoon, RAdm Hudson said.
'There's no fleet commander in the world who wouldn't want more assets, but you have to be pragmatic about what member states are willing to contribute.'
Several trade routes cross the Indian Ocean, making a single securitised corridor impossible. Sealing off the Gulf of Aden is easier because almost all passing ships are heading to or from the Suez Canal.
The Atalanta mission costs about 500 million euros (S$1 billion) a year, Didier Lenoir, head of military operations at the EU, said at a conference on Dec 7 in Paris. Each nation pays costs for the ships it contributes.
In total, there are about 25 warships off Somali waters. While the EU and Nato fleets carry out patrols and hunt for pirates, gunboats sent by Russia, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia mostly organise and protect convoys of their nations' merchant ships.
Somali pirates have attacked 160 times so far this year, seizing 44 ships for ransom. They still hold 11 ships and 283 seamen.
Last year, 165 ships were attacked with 43 vessels hijacked. The pirates operate out of lawless ports on the east coast of Somalia, which has lacked an effective central government since the early 1990s.