Task force chief says owners should share security burden

David Osler - Wednesday 24 September 2008

COALITION navies have privately been stung by shipping industry criticism of their work to prevent piracy in Somalia, according to the deputy commander of the task force charged with the task.

In a frank interview with this newspaper, the Royal Navy’s Keith Winstanley insisted that the merchant shipping industry should realise that to some extent it must provide for its self-protection.

In one particularly pointed aside, he argued that shipowners should consider the use of private sector security detachments for vessels transiting the Gulf of Aden, even where that necessitates financial outlay.

Cmdre Winstanley consistently stressed that Coalition Task Force 150 is doing the best it can within its limited resources, but cannot offer comprehensive coverage of a huge sea area.

He added that 12 pirate attacks have been prevented since the introduction of a Maritime Security Patrol Area in the region last month. Pirate vessels have been destroyed, arms seized and pirates captured.

But even this tactic has not proved foolproof, and one recent pirate hijack took place within the patrol area, he admitted.

“I do have to say that we – me in person, and we, the navies here – do think that we are not the solution to the problem. I know that there are lots of people jumping up and down saying we are.

“But frankly, the root cause of this problem is ashore in Somalia. There’s a limit to what we can do about that. Root causes are much bigger than navies can cope with.”

Asked about the implicit criticism contained in the round robin statement from BIMCO, Intercargo, the International Chamber of Shipping, the International Shipping Federation, Intertanko and the International Transport Workers’ Federation, he responded: “Some of it was not implicit criticism. I can only reiterate my point about the scale of the problem.

“With a coalition force of circa 40-50 ships out here, we simply cannot concentrate them all on the Gulf of Aden, because we have many, many more missions to achieve.”

Ironically, it has subsequently emerged that the statement as it finally released represents a compromise between the signatories, with some of those involved favouring a sharper tone.

“We shouldn’t be in a confrontational mode; this is going to require - because of the scale of the problem and because of the scale of our mission out here - a collective effort,” Cmdre Winstanley went on. But he added: “Of course I get irritated by suggestions that we are ineffective.

Later he reiterated: “We’re doing what we can and having some effect. And does it irritate me that we don’t get due credit for that? Yes, of course it does, I’m only human.

“The sort of view that the navies of the world are an instant sticking plaster to this is actually ill informed, I sorry to say.

“We’re not ceding the waters of the Gulf of Aden to pirates, and where we can be there and give support, we are doing that. But we can’t be everywhere at once and I would ask and urge the international shipping community just to check and verify that they are content that they are taking every possible action themselves to reduce the chances of piracy.

“That might mean something that costs money, such as private security. Ultimately that’s a question for the individual companies, as is whatever instructions they give to their masters in the event of coming across piratical attacks.

“But speed, manoeuvre and communication rather than stopping at the first shot would be my advice.”
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