Piracy costs east African economies

This at a time when food prices, which are on the increase due to higher insurance premiums of ships, is having a devastating economic impact on Africa. And, with pirates targeting any vessel, the fishing industry too has come under strain.

Chief of Navies and Maritime Wing Commanders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries have come together to debate resolutions to these issues at the 17th Standing Maritime Committee Conference in Durban, which kicked off on Wednesday, 22 February 212.

This conference takes place at a time when pirate and maritime crime, especially in the Indian Ocean, has been described as a "state of calamity".

Maritime crime also includes drug and human trafficking, smuggling of prohibited plants and animals, tax evasion and unauthorised entry.

At the end of the conference on Friday, a common SADC maritime security agenda will be adopted and presented at the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium in Cape Town later this year.

Major General Siad Omar from Tanzania said any incidents that take place on the sea had direct consequences on the world economy - with the pirates having control over the sea in some parts, the cost of living has already gone up.

It is not just insurance premiums on ships that contribute to the increase in the price of goods, the cost of protection of ships are also taking a toll. Some companies are becoming hesitant to trade in these regions as a result, preventing investment in Africa.

According to Vice Admiral Johannes Mudimu, South Africa is safe as government has the necessary assets and human personnel to protect the surrounding territories.

Last year, the South African government mandated its Department of Defence to develop a maritime security strategy following an increase of piracy incidents in Mozambican waters in December 2010.

The South African Defence Force has been authorised by President Jacob Zuma to combat piracy and other maritime related crimes off the east coast.

Mudimu said there were many other questions that still needed to be interrogated during this meeting, including issues around illegal dumping and funding of the security resolutions. He added that the SADC nations must also explore their capacity to fix, repair and build ships as opposed to sending them to Europe if they are in need of attention.

He said an integrated approach was needed to make this possible and pooling resources may also be necessary.

The other major issue around maritime crime is that of legislation. When pirates are captured, countries do not always have national laws in place to legally charge them.

Omar said the absence of a legal framework made it difficult to successfully prosecute pirates. In Tanzania, it was only recently that their anti-piracy laws were amended to provide room for the prosecution of pirates caught in the country's waters.