Lull in pirate attacks to end, MarAd warns

Lull in pirate attacks to end, MarAd warns    The U.S. Maritime Administration on Tuesday warned vessel operators to expect a pickup in pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia now that the monsoon season has come to an end.
   Meanwhile, the United States and five other countries committed to follow best management practices to avoid, deter or delay acts of piracy.
   Calmer weather through December means that the small boats pirates use to attack and hijack commercial vessels for ransom can more safely and effectively operate. Attacks dropped in the summer compared to the first few months of the year.
   The agency is urging mariners to take defensive measures, maintain a high state of alert and not surrender at the first sign of a threat. Many ships that have been captured have stopped after being fired on with small arms or rocket-propelled grenades, but maritime experts say that if they had continued on the pirates would have been unable to board and given up.
   The MarAd advisory recommended that crews travel 'at maximum sustainable' speed through the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean around the Horn of Africa and continually conduct risk assessments during their voyage.
   It also gives mariners information on how best to check in with authorities and how to request international naval escort services in a convoy.
   Many of the directives to U.S.-flag carriers have been previously issued by the U.S. Coast Guard or MarAd.
   The United States was joined by Japan, Cyprus, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland in signing the New York Declaration, a non-binding document committing nations with ship registries to require their vessels to adopt international recognized best practices to protect against pirates. The signing ceremony took place on the eve of a meeting of the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, which was created following the adoption of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1851 last year in order to better coordinate international counter-piracy efforts.
   China and France are also expected to sign the declaration. The cooperation agreement was originally proposed and signed in May by the world's largest ship registries — Panama, the Bahamas, Liberia and the Marshall Islands. Under the agreement, the governments said they would ensure that vessels on their registry have adopted and documented self-protection measures in their ship security plans as part of their compliance with the International Ship and Port Security Code.
   The Contact Group, which numbers almost 40 participating nations and international organizations, is working to coordinate international naval patrols, industry self-protection measures, as well as efforts to discourage the payment of ransoms, and build the capacity of regional countries to interdict and prosecute suspected pirates.
   The New York Declaration essentially internationalizes steps that the U.S. government has already taken to protect U.S.-flag vessels. Earlier this year, the Coast Guard revised its maritime security directives to require vessel operators to implement more effective deterrent measures against pirates, especially when operating in high-threat areas.
   Best practices used by major international shipping companies now include increased lookouts, ensuring that ladders are raised, and readying fire pumps to repel borders.