What I consider the most important comment, is they plan to put ARMED GUARDS aboard the aid ships. Finally, someone with a brain.
Some 21,000 cargo ships a year — or more than 50 a day — cross the Gulf of Aden, which links the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, international agencies have said. The growing chaos in impoverished Somalia, which has had no effective government for nearly two decades, has allowed an Islamic insurgency to flourish in the country while speedboat bandits attack ships offshore.
The EU launched its anti-piracy mission five days early on Tuesday, before it takes over for the NATO ships next Monday. The EU mission will involve six ships and up to three aircraft patrolling at any one time, and will station armed guards aboard the most vulnerable cargo vessels, such as ships transporting food aid to Somalia, according to the British naval commander in charge of the mission.
"We would seek to place vessel protect detachments on board World Food Program ships transiting to Somalia," British Rear Admiral Philip Jones told a news conference in Brussels. "They are the most vulnerable ships of all, and the best deterrence is achieved by having such a detachment on board."
The NATO anti-piracy mission has also focused on escorting the U.N. aid agency's chartered vessels, helping some 30,000 tons of humanitarian aid reach Somalia since Oct. 24.
If this piracy problem continues, I think this approach will expand to more ships.
I don't think it's a bad idea for the military to charge the commercial owners for this service. Or, maybe, they can make an arrangement with the "flag" countries to offer security to their ships.
Most ships sail under a "flag of convenience", countries where it is cheap to form a corporation, but which of course do not have a Navy. Generally Marshall Islands, Panama, (use to be Liberia but I think that has changed)
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