Fighting Piracy on the High Seas 

by Joseph O'Reilly

Like a tale out of the golden age of piracy, merchant traders are circling their ships to defend against rampaging buccaneers and protect their treasures. The world’s three largest container shipping companies are rallying to fight against Somali pirates terrorizing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. CMA CGM, MSC, and Maersk Line have agreed to share information on safety measures, piracy policies, and procedures in areas where Somali pirates continue to attack and hijack vessels.

“The aim of our partnership is to have a consensus on the issue of piracy and to be able to trade without special protection as we do in most parts of the world,” says CMA CGM spokesperson Catherine des Arcis in an interview with Inbound Logistics.

“We share individual procedures and policies, but do not hold the same opinion on all measures— for example, the use of armed guards in connection with piracy. But this does not stand in the way of us sharing knowledge about security measures or raising awareness about the piracy challenges we face as an industry,” she says.

CMA CGM and the other carriers are also engaging governments to fight piracy by establishing a naval presence in the Gulf of Aden and pursuing appropriate legal frameworks to ensure pirates are prosecuted and held responsible for their crimes.

“The root causes of this problem cannot be addressed overnight,” explains des Arcis. “Therefore, it is imperative that the naval forces have a strong and dynamic mandate to match the constantly changing situation in the area. It is also vital that acts of piracy do not go unpunished, which is why appropriate legal frameworks for prosecuting pirates are necessary.”