Indian ship owners press for UN piracy force

   Piracy costs the global shipping trade more than $9 billion a year, according to Indian ship owners, who on Monday demanded that the United Nations set up a maritime force to halt pirates operating off the Somali coast in the Indian Ocean, the Associated Press reported Monday.
   The Indian National Shipowners Organization said increased insurance costs, longer routes to avoid pirate-infested areas, armed guards posted on board ships, and ransoms paid for the release of hijacked vessels and crew are driving up operating costs for the global shipping industry.
   Anil Devli, a representative of the ship owners organization, said the group had written to the Indian government to pursue their demand for a maritime force under U.N. command.
   “What is happening today is that various navies are providing escort services to ships along certain sea corridors,” Devli said. “We believe a U.N. effort would resolve the issue quickly and at much less cost than what the world economy is spending due to piracy.”
   According to Devli, the envisioned U.N. force would have a legal mandate to board suspicious ships and have armed soldiers to protect ships at sea as well as armed naval vessels empowered to attack pirate vessels.