Vasan explains steps taken to combat piracy

The Union government has taken the following steps to combat the incidents of piracy of ships/vessels, the Union Minister of Shipping, Mr G. K. Vasan, told the Lok Sabha.

• The Directorate-General of Shipping (DGS) issues various advisories to ships/vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden providing information relating to piracy in the area and also providing details of patrol convoy timing followed by the Indian Naval vessel patrolling the region.

• Advisories and information obtained from various international forces present in the area are regularly forwarded to the shipping fraternity.

• An Indian Navy warship has been deployed in the area from October 23, 2008, to escort ships seeking assistance.

• The Indian delegation made an intervention in the 101st Council meeting of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) in London in November 2008 and proposed a UN Task Force under a unified command to prevent the ever-increasing piracy attacks off the Somali coast.

The government has also raised the matter at various international fora, including the IMO, in order to invoke their intervention.

Source : Exim News Service - NEW DELHI, March 9