Shipping Groups Demand End To Marine Pirate Hijacks

WORLDWIDE – The anti piracy petition we featured here last month has already gathered over 53,000 signatures and has now garnered support from a myriad interests from the shipping and logistics world and beyond. The ASF (Asian Shipowners’ Forum), ECSA (European Community Shipowners' Associations), the ICMA (International Christian Maritime Association) and ICSW (International Committee for Seafarers’ Welfare), are amongst the groups now also promoting the initiative to their members and anyone else who will listen.

The intention is to gather half a million signatures by this year’s International Maritime Organization's designated “Year of the Seafarer” World Maritime Day on 23rd September. The petition calls for all international Governments to redouble efforts to end the capturing of innocent vessels and the kidnap and imprisonment of seafarers whatever their nationality. The IMO have a dedicated page on their own website concerned with the pirate situation in Somalia.

The petition is a joint campaign by BIMCO, ICS, IFSMA, IMEC, IPTA, Intercargo, InterManager, International Group of P&I Clubs, INTERTANKO, ISF, ITF, IUMI and SIGTTO as well as national shipowners’ associations and trades unions worldwide and you can read the petition in full in our initial story or sign up using THIS LINK.

http://www.itfseafarers.org/petition.cfm