The world's three-largest container shipping organisations have formed an alliance in a bid to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean trade lines.
Maersk Line, CMA CGM and MSC have joined together to exchange information on safety measures, piracy policies and procedures as well as coordination, to ensure the issue of piracy is addressed with all relevant stakeholders.
'Our first and foremost concern is the safety and security of our crews,' a joint statement from the three groups read. 'Piracy continues to be a problem for the shipping industry and if we want to address it effectively, we as ship owners must cooperate.'
The groups have agreed on the importance of the Best Management Practices for safe sailing in the area where Somali pirates continue to attack and hijack vessels.
'Following the Anti-Piracy Best Management Practice is an important step in preventing hijackings and we fully support the use and further development of the BMP,' the alliance continued.
CMA CGM, Maersk Line and MSC welcomed the international community's efforts to fight the problem of piracy in terms of a navel presence in affected areas, and also backed proposals for regional capacity building to address issues such as regional coast guards and possible transit corridors to East Africa.
'The root cause of this problem cannot be addressed overnight. Therefore it is imperative that the naval forces have a strong and dynamic mandate to match the constantly changing situation in the area,' the shippers added. 'It is also vital that the acts of piracy do not go unpunished, which is why appropriate legal frameworks for prosecuting pirates are needed.'
