EU assures Tanzanians of safety along Indian Ocean

European Union (EU) has assured Tanzanians of safety along the Indian Ocean waters off the coast where EU naval force (EU NAVFOR) continues its operational activities to fight against piracy in the area, the EU Head of delegation in the country Ambassador Filiberto Sebregondi has said. The operation dubbed ‘Operation Atalanta is the EU’s counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia that aims to curb armed robbery of taking control of marine vessels transiting the high risk areas whereby pirates extort ransom money from the crew at sea. Ambassador Filiberto was briefing journalists in Dar es Salaam on Monday last week during an event that demonstrated a practical training session that involved Tanzania Maritime Police (TMP) and Tanzania People’s Defense Forces (TPDF) navy soldiers on how to curb piracy. The practical trainings were held on board the EU Naval Force flagship known as ‘Siroco’ which had anchored at Dar es Salaam port and were carried out by experienced trainers and dealt with typical piracy related situations. Ambassador Filiberto also briefed journalists on various successful operational missions over the fight against piracy along the coast of Indian Ocean where the EU is mandated to work since August 2013. He said the team of military experts is already carrying out activities in mostly notorious and troubled regions commonly known in the world for piracy attack such as in the gulf of Somalia and Djibouti since December 2013 through a liaison officer based in the country. He said since the operation started, there have been several successful attacks and about 250 pirates have been apprehended waiting for trial in international court of justice. However, he noted that, the pirates would be prosecuted in countries which according to EU policy do not have laws that warrant death penalties of such suspects. He further noted that, the EU resolves to do that on the humanitarian grounds. Such trainings are vital for marine awareness and are regularly carried out in order to strengthen marine security during port visits of EU-naval force ships and are often embedded into trainings held by EUCAP Nestor liaison office in Dar es Salaam, he said. Ambassador Filiberto pointed out that while bearing all aspects of organized crime, piracy was a complex issue that could only be contained by combining political and diplomatic efforts with military and legal action, development assistance ands strong international coordination. On his part, the EUCAP Nestor Tanzania liaison officer, Eisso Kronenberg said that, the investigations of serious marine crime starts from the arrest and detention of suspects, and finally prosecution. According to him, the trainings aims at sharing knowledge and experiences in fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean region whereby it has been sensed to be having  a growing threat to security on international shipping since 2000s.. 

EU Head of delegation in Tanzania Ambassador Filiberto Sebregondi (Left) talking with journalists (not in the picture) in Dar es Salaam.

 These trainings involve inspecting suspicious skiffs, detaining suspected pirates and collecting evidence for their possible prosecution. In recent years, there has been a series of pirates attack on Indian Ocean waters by Somali citizens believed to be Islamist insurgents who tend to hijack ships navigating along the confluence of Indian ocean water and the perpetrators have been demanding lots of money from the owners of the shipping companies for their survival.  Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century. Since 2005, many international organizations, including the International Maritime Organization and the World Food Program, have expressed concern over the rise in acts of piracy. Piracy has impeded the delivery of shipments and increased shipping expenses, costing an estimated $6.6 to $6.9 billion a year in global trade according to statistics report by Oceans beyond Piracy (OBP). According to the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), a veritable industry of profiteers has also risen around the piracy. Insurance companies, in particular, have profited from the pirate attacks, as insurance premiums have increased significantly.  A United Nations report and several news sources have suggested that piracy off the coast of Somalia was caused in part by illegal fishing.  According to the DIW and the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, the dumping of toxic waste in Somali waters by foreign vessels also severely constrained the ability of local fishermen to earn a living.  In response, the fishermen began forming armed groups to stop the foreign ships. They eventually turned to hijacking commercial vessels for ransom as an alternate source of income. In 2009, a survey by Wardheer News found that approximately 70 percent of the local coastal communities at the time "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defense of the country's territorial waters.  The pirates also believed that they were protecting their fishing grounds and exacting justice and compensation for the marine resources stolen. By the end of 2011, pirates managed to seize only four ships off of the coast of Somalia, 22 fewer than the 26 they had captured in each of the two previous years. They also attempted unsuccessful attacks on 52 other vessels, as of 18 October 2013, the pirates were holding 1 large ship and an estimated 50 hostages.  According to another source, there were 151 attacks on ships in 2011, compared with 127 in 2010 – but only 25 successful hijacks compared to 47 in 2010. Pirates held 10 vessels and 159 hostages in February 2012.  In 2011, pirates earned $146m, an average of $4.87m per ship. An estimated 3,000 to 5,000 pirates operated, by February 2012 1,000 had been captured and were legally prosecuted in 21 countries.