Piracy threatens East African sea transport

To underline the seriousness of the problem, the heads and representatives of navy units from 89 countries gathered in Cape Town last week to discuss ways to eliminate the scourge of piracy.

South Africa's Defence minister Lindiwe Sisulu said the number of people taken hostage for ransom by pirates in the area increased from 186 in 2006 to 1,016 in 2010, she described the situation as grave. The fact that piracy activities seem to be targeting trade routes in Eastern and Southern Africa was, in fact, one of the biggest concerns of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium.

"Tanzania has reported 57 attacks by pirates in its territorial waters between February 2011 and February 2012." This suggests that pirates have relocated to the Southern African Development Community oceans, Sisulu said. According to BusinessWeek, approximately 90 per cent of trade destined for Africa is transported by sea. "This percentage is higher within intra-African trade. It is within this context that one will understand how tangible the area's vulnerability is," the minister concluded.

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