News / International
British govt calls for action to contain piracy
04 Jan 2012 at 22:37hrs | Views
A British report issued Thursday called for "decisive action" to contain the growing problem of piracy off the coast of Somalia.
"We conclude that for too long there has been a noticeable gap between the government's rhetoric and its action," concluded the 210-page report, issued by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. "Despite nine U.N. Security Council resolutions and three multinational naval operations, the counter-piracy policy has had limited impact. The number of attacks, the costs to the industry and the price of the ransoms have all increased significantly since 2007."
Over the past four years, the average ransom has risen from $600,000 to $4.7 million per vessel, with 2011's total outlay reaching $135 million, the report said.
"We conclude that for too long there has been a noticeable gap between the government's rhetoric and its action," concluded the 210-page report, issued by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee. "Despite nine U.N. Security Council resolutions and three multinational naval operations, the counter-piracy policy has had limited impact. The number of attacks, the costs to the industry and the price of the ransoms have all increased significantly since 2007."
Over the past four years, the average ransom has risen from $600,000 to $4.7 million per vessel, with 2011's total outlay reaching $135 million, the report said.
Source - CNN
