Middle Eastern countries neighbouring the Gulf of Aden are not doing enough to counter the threat of piracy in the region, according to an industry insider.
Tankers travelling through the Gulf of Aden are forced to take a number of security precautions in order to gain safe passage and Norient Product Pool CEO Soren Huscher believes Middle Eastern countries can do more.
“In regards to that particular area in the Gulf of Aden , one thing I would like to see is some participation from the immediate surrounding countries in the Middle East, which seem to be doing very little in solving the problems regarding piracy, either by directly fighting it or by assisting in identifying the root cause of the problem within the neighbouring countries,” stated Huscher.
“It seems to be naval ships from far away that are going there to protect the commercial fleet and very little from countries there, which I think is a shame,” he added.
Other members of the tanker industry have called on governments to take a stronger role.
“Ultimately, of course, the issue of piracy and the conditions that enable it must be decisively addressed by governments. The costs of security measures and voyage delays, not to mention the anguish to those threatened and taken, cannot be tolerated indefinitely,” revealed Stolt Nielsen managing director Atle Sebjornsen.
