Making Progress:

The All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa Maritime Security Responses to Piracy Off the Coasts of Africa

October 2011

Making Progress

Making Progress
Maritime Security Responses to Piracy Off the Coasts of Africa

The All-Party Parliamentary Group

The UK All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Great Lakes Region of Africa brings together Lords and Members of Parliament who are passionate about the development of a region so vital to the future of Africa. There is a strong emphasis and drive to influence change for the better, and the group keeps pressing for more resources and more development assistance. Given the security concerns currently centering on Somalia and the knock on effect this is having on the Great Lakes region, then identifying answers to piracy is a serious concern for the group. The African Great Lake region covers the area lying between northern Lake Tanganyika, western Lake Victoria, and lakes Kivu, Edward and Albert. This comprises Burundi, Rwanda, northeastern DR Congo, Uganda and northwestern Kenya and Tanzania. It is used in a wider sense to extend to all of Kenya and Tanzania.

the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the Great Lakes Region of Africa, chaired by Eric Joyce MP, met on 17th October to discuss the latest developments in the ongoing struggles against Somalia based piracy. A panel comprising the UK Shipping Minister Mike Penning, Gavin Simmons of the British Chamber of Shipping and Steven Jones of the Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) was on hand to provide specialist input and analysis to the group. Mike Penning opened the session by giving an update on the current government position and of the encouraging progress being made as the military efforts gather pace. As with so much of life success breeds confidence, and with the rescue of the vessel Montecristo by UK forces fresh in the mind, it appears there are a number of factors combining to reinvigorate and galvanize the ongoing anti-piracy work. However it was stressed that while the rescue was a superb example of military intervention, the fact remains that luck played a huge part. Had the vessel been further away from the naval assets the outcome could have been very different. Instead of talks of triumph we would perhaps be bemoaning yet another hijack and another group of unfortunate seafarers would be contemplating a long and dreadful spell of captivity. Overall the message of the positive meeting was one of general optimism, as the government, shipping industry and private maritime security providers painted a view of a burgeoning new dynamic. There is much work still to be done, but there are finally some positive signs of progress.

In the elegant surroundings of the UK Houses of Parliament,

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Making Progress

While the minister spoke of challenges and change, the British Chamber of Shipping rightly reminded the group of the need to support owners and of the requirement to provide guidance and answers. Not unreasonably the shipping industry sees this as an issue far beyond its scope and power to address. It is a problem of such scale and violence that only a government led solution can affect a fix. The long term view is very much one of political and military action, but in the shorter term it was seen that private maritime security providers are making a real difference. It remains true that no vessel has yet been hijacked with an armed security team onboard. With this in mind SAMI spoke of the moves by the maritime security industry to provide the solutions which shipowners need and of the ongoing work to provide robust accreditation of security providers on a global scale. Taking the guidelines developed by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), SAMI has created a standard against which maritime security providers will be accredited. The briefing set out the course of action for this process, and with an independent assessor in place this process is about to commence. It was stressed that the maritime security industry is a vital part of the chain but it was recognised that there is important work to be done to ensure that the perceptions of cowboys chasing the whiff of a new business gold rush are sidelined. SAMI is leading these efforts, and there was uniform support from both the government and Chamber of Shipping for the work undertaken thus far and the future plans. Maritime security is a relatively new industry and as it grows and develops it must pass through the stages of critical examination in order to provide the reassurance needed by its clients, and to earn the respect of the wider shipping industry. Progress is being made, and this bodes well for the future. Despite the positive progression there remain difficult maritime security issues to resolve, and it was stressed that despite the moves of the government to change current UK legislation it still remains illegal to carry armed guards on UK flagged vessels. These legal barriers are being dismantled, and while the minister stressed that the government will not be seeking to act against owners or maritime security providers they are naturally cause for concern if something does go wrong. In opening the floor to questions it was clear that serious

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Making Progress

problems remain, and one shipowner spoke of the fears, the sleepless nights of stress and of feeling abandoned. A view echoed by others, especially when concerns about potential escalation of the violence used by pirates were voiced. There were questions raised as to whether pirates will access ever greater firepower as it becomes harder for them to snatch their targets. While this is a serious and real concern, it was felt that adaptation rather than escalation perhaps painted a more accurate picture. Indeed the pirate raids on Kenyan tourist resorts were seen as a powerful illustration of this point

wouldnt say even if they were. It perhaps seems nave to expect senior government officials to reveal plans such as these, but the piracy problem does challenge the norms. However, the group was reminded that just because this is an asymmetric struggle against non-State actors does not diminish the importance of confidentiality, even if this does often frustrate the shipping industry. While frustrations are still evident it finally seems that we are seeing governments, armed forces, shipowners and maritime security providers starting to develop positive working relationships. A new partnership approach is becoming evident, and this means that we are finally heading in the right direction. With powerful, responsive leadership being shown it seems that much progress is finally being made. Politicians, the military, the shipping industry and maritime security providers are all seemingly poised to progress, ready to support each other and open to new ideas, partnerships and initiatives. For too long there has been a rising tide of piracy which has threatened to swamp us, finally it seems that we are talking about solutions rather than problems. There is still a long way to go, but with the will of all parties to engage and work towards safeguarding seafarers and shipping perhaps we are seeing if not the beginning of the end, but at least the end of the beginning.

The minister had earlier praised the ongoing efforts of the Kenyan government and a representative of the Kenyan High Commission was present to brief the meeting on the latest initiatives to develop a land based secure buffer zone between Kenya and Somalia. It was stressed that the pirate attacks on holiday makers was decimating the local tourism industry, and the Kenyan government wished to thank those nations which are supporting their security efforts. With Kenyan troops moving purposefully over the border it reminded many of the importance of matching the maritime efforts on land. The point was once again stressed that while the battles against pirates will be fought at sea, it remains clear that the war will ultimately be won ashore. Much talk was of the lack of alternatives for locals ashore, and with no hopes of jobs and as the threat of starvation grips it is perhaps understandable that so many young Somalis are tempted into a life of maritime crime. So it seems once more that the conclusions are focused on land based intervention. However, when questioned by an academic on whether the UK is looking to intervene ashore the minister gave a sharp response that he

The event was hosted by APPG Chair Eric Joyce MP

The event was sponsored by SAMI members, Britannia Maritime Security

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