Ship manager: Pirate ransom ban would endanger crew and hurt global economy

2012 03 23


THE recent UK government initiative to ban payment of ransoms to pirates has been criticised by a leading ship manager for its disregard of the safety of seafarers.

Such a ban would have "massively detrimental effect on the risk to the world's seafarers and the global economy", said Intermanager president Alastair Evitt, also chairman of the Save Our Seafarers Campaign.

Not only would a ban impact recruitment for crews transiting high-risk waters but would create huge insurance premiums for vessels in pirate-infested trade lanes creating higher costs for those forced to reroute. "In many cases vessels would become a total loss after six months," Mr Evitt said in a speech at Maritime Association's Shipping 2012 conference in Connecticut, US.

"I, for one, would not sanction one of Meridian's vessels transiting the high risk area - if there was no ultimate solution in the event of a vessel and her crew being held captive," he said.

The US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the move to stop the illicit flow of money and eliminated the profit motive by breaking the ransom business cycle.

Source Shipping Gazette - Daily Shipping News
 

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