It has been reported:-
Crews of vessels transiting the pirate infested Gulf of Aden are now entitled to receive danger money following an agreement between unions and employers signed on 7th October 2008.
This agreement comes into force with immediately.
Seafarers on ships covered by International Bargaining Agreement Forums will receive a bonus equal to 100% of their basic wage whilst the vessel is in transit.
The normal rates of death and disability compensation for seafarers will be doubled.
The accord was reached after a meeting, of the IBF Warlike Operations Areas Committee , held in Singapore, this the first time that the IBF has designated any area as being of high-risk.
Crews serving on vessels which follow the transit corridor, known as the Maritime Security Patrol Area (MPSA), will be expected to cross the Gulf.
However crew members who serve on ships that do not follow the MSPA route will be entitled to refuse to transit the Gulf of Aden and can demand to be repatriated at the shipowner's expense.
This is step in the right direction, but the world's shipping nations need to cooperate, to ensure that the pirate menace is wiped out.
If it is impossible to get agreement on this, then each nation should take whatever means are necessary to ensure that its vessels are not hijacked and held to ransom.
An 'open season' should be declared on Somali pirates, and indeed upon all pirates worldwide.
An old salt said this:
“In days gone by, when the navy would caught a pirate, they would tie his hands and feet and throw him overboard.”
Sounds like a good solution to me, it will certainly be a strong deterrent!!
Abite nummi, ego vos mergam, ne mergar a vobis
Away with you, money, I will sink you that I may not be sunk by you
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