UK/FILE: Britain blocks U.S. proposal which it fears could open up UK firms to prosecution if they pay ransoms to named Somali pirate suspects

Record ID: 588932

  • Title: UK/FILE: Britain blocks U.S. proposal which it fears could open up UK firms to prosecution if they pay ransoms to named Somali pirate suspects
  • Date: 12th August 2010
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (AUGUST 10. 2010) (REUTERS) PETER HINCHLIFFE, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING FEDERATION, WORKING IN OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) PETER HINCHLIFFE, SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING FEDERATION, SAYING: "The domestic action they have taken could have the effect of preventing the release of a seafarer who might be from another nationality, let's say the Philippines, from being released because the U.S. has taken action against the company or the insurers and thereby preventing the ransom from being paid, and that is in the absence of any alternative to get the crew or the ship back. That is totally unacceptable."
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement,International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3NV28Q7M6QXFN1SGQMXEXOHW5
  • Story Text: Dutch navy footage released in April showed the drama of an operation to snatch back a hijacked European cargo ship from Somali pirates.
    The German-owned MS Taipan and its 15 crew were recovered unscathed. Such victories are rare. Other hijacked vessels and their crews are usually returned only after a ransom is paid.
    But friction has erupted over moves that could outlaw such payments, usually made in U.S. dollars.
    The U.S. has launched sanctions against two suspected Somali pirate commanders and wants to extend the sanctions internationally.
    Britain has blocked the move because it fears UK firms could be prosecuted if ransom cashup in the hands of Abshir Abdillahi or Mohamed Abdi Garaad.
    Peter Hinchliffe, secretary general of the International Shipping Federation based in London said on Tuesday (August 11) ransom deals were a necessary evil.
    "The domestic action they have taken could have the effect of preventing the release of a seafarer who might be from another nationality, let's say the Philippines, from being released because the U.S. has taken action against the company or the insurers and thereby preventing the ransom from being paid, and that is in the absence of any alternative to get the crew or the ship back. That is totally unacceptable," said Peter Hinchliffe.
    Hinchliffe praised the efforts of the international naval operation against piracy but said the only long-term solution was stability within Somalia.
    "The ultimate solution will only be to establish legitimate government and law and order in Somalia and there doesn't seem to be any international appetite to do that at the moment. So everything that happens in the maritime domain in terms of protecting the rights of innocent passage for all the merchant ships that have to go through the region is really a sticking plaster over what is a major problem of lack of law and order ashore in Somalia," he said.
    The International Maritime Bureau's reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur logged nearly 200 pirate incidents worldwide for the first six months of this year. Of those, 31 ships were hijacked and more than 540 crew taken hostage. Nearly all the incidents happened off the Somali coast or the Gulf of Aden.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2011. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register