Over 500 seafarers are currently being held hostage by pirates in the Somali region, said the Round Table of International Shipping Association and the International Transport Workers’ Federation.
“These seafarers have suffered the trauma of having their ships attacked with automatic weapons, prior to being kidnapped for ransom. Many have been held captive for several months, often in the most appalling conditions, by armed criminals who can be violent and unpredictable,” they said in a statement.
They have called on the international community to keep their plight alive.
“It is vital that the international community focuses on the plight of those held in Somalia, as well as the tens of thousands of ships’ crew who, each and everyday throughout the holiday period, will continue to transport the raw materials and finished products that keep our modern world functioning.”
About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea, many of which have been transported via high-risk pirate danger areas that now extend over much of the Indian Ocean.
There has been an unprecedented degree of co-operation amongst the world’s military navies, but the number of navy ships available is simply insufficient to prevent vulnerable ships from being attacked. However, 85 percent of those pirates that are pursued and captured end up being released.
Since January 2008, Somali pirates have held over 2,600 seafarers hostage.
“These seafarers have suffered the trauma of having their ships attacked with automatic weapons, prior to being kidnapped for ransom. Many have been held captive for several months, often in the most appalling conditions, by armed criminals who can be violent and unpredictable,” they said in a statement.
They have called on the international community to keep their plight alive.
“It is vital that the international community focuses on the plight of those held in Somalia, as well as the tens of thousands of ships’ crew who, each and everyday throughout the holiday period, will continue to transport the raw materials and finished products that keep our modern world functioning.”
About 90 percent of world trade is transported by sea, many of which have been transported via high-risk pirate danger areas that now extend over much of the Indian Ocean.
There has been an unprecedented degree of co-operation amongst the world’s military navies, but the number of navy ships available is simply insufficient to prevent vulnerable ships from being attacked. However, 85 percent of those pirates that are pursued and captured end up being released.
Since January 2008, Somali pirates have held over 2,600 seafarers hostage.