- Title: KENYA: British government deeply concerned by piracy after tanker capture
- Date: 18th November 2008
- Summary: (BN09) NAIROBI, KENYA (NOVEMBER 18, 2008) (REUTERS) WIDE SHOT OF MEDIA CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED KINGDOM MINISTER FOR ARMED FORCES, BOB AINSWORTH SAYING: "The taking of such a large vessel so far out of sea represents a step change in capability of the pirates. Alongside our international partners, Her Majesty's government is deeply concerned, not least beca
- Embargoed: 3rd December 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Kenya
- Country: Kenya
- Reuters ID: LVA8HVYHCLH2ZRAIFHFU7FWH4QQE
- Story Text: The British government is deeply concerned by piracy off the east coast of Africa following the hijack of a Saudi supertanker carrying a 100 million U.S.-dollar (USD) oil cargo, Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said on Tuesday (November 18).
The capture of Sirius Star 450 nautical miles southeast of Kenya's Mombasa port, and way beyond the Gulf of Aden where most attacks have taken place this year, is the pirates' boldest attack and the culmination of several years' increasing activity.
"The taking of such a large vessel so far out of sea represents a step change in capability of the pirates," Ainsworth told reporters on a visit to Kenya.
"Alongside our international partners, Her Majesty's government is deeply concerned, not least because two of the crew are British. Our thoughts are with the men and their families at this difficult time. We call on those holding the men to release them and the rest of the crew immediately."
The seizure was carried out despite an international naval response, including from the NATO alliance and European Union, to protect one of the world's busiest shipping areas.
U.S, French and Russian warships are also off Somalia.
With the increase of piracy in the region, business people suffering and the cost of insurance going high, British forces came to their aid and captured 8 Somali pirates who they handed over to Kenyan authorities for further prosecution.
"But the countries in this region have a particular problem with the degree of piracy that is going on. It's grown substantially over recent times, it threatens the well-being of the entire east African coast, the port of Mombasa, and it threatens world trade generally. We wanted to see those people being dealt with in the region where they had committed their crimes and we are enormously grateful for the Kenyan authorities stepping up to this and being prepared to prosecute them. They have given us assurances about how they will deal with these individuals. They will be dealt with through the proper process of the law, all of their rights will be protected, but they will face a proper judicial process as a result of their alleged activities," Ainsworth added.
Normally, the increasingly well-armed and sophisticated Somali pirates use speedboats and satellite phones to coordinate attacks, with the mother-ship as a base for their operations.
The seizure of the Sirius, which is three times the size of an aircraft carrier, follows another high-profile strike earlier this year by the pirates when they captured a Ukrainian ship carrying 33 tanks and other military equipment.
They are still holding that vessel and about a dozen others, with more than 200 crew members hostage. Given that the pirates are well-armed with grenades, machine-guns and rocket-launchers, foreign forces in the area are steering clear of direct attacks. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None