The Hindu Business Line : Seafarers call for anti-piracy steps

The Seafarers Section of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) is upset with flag states and shipowners who have done nothing to fight Somali piracy. "Some countries are actively fighting piracy while others are shirking responsibility, effectively accepting piracy that has now reached a point where one of the world's major trading routes is almost too dangerous to pass through," says an ITF statement. It has urged ships not to transit the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia owing to growing menace of piracy, which has now spread to the Indian Ocean. "The risk of attack is now so great that putting seafarers in harm's way amounts to a breach of the shipowner's duty of care," the statement observes, adding that only in extraordinary circumstances should ships should be allowed to transit the affected area. The extraordinary circumstances under which ships can pass through the area are when ships have adequate naval escorts or when ships are classified as low risk and have proper protection measures in place.

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