Girija Shettar
The shipping industry, which wants a crackdown on illegal fishing off Somalia because it is fuelling piracy, has been told that the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) cannot help.
International shipping association BIMCO is now looking elsewhere for a solution to the problem .
The message that illegal fishing lay outside the remit of EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta was conveyed by the force’s operation commander, Major General Martin Smith, at a private meeting with chief maritime security officers prior to a BIMCO security meeting in London this morning.
The industry claims illegal fishing off Somalia is both the source of maritime piracy in the area and a continuing aggravator of the situation. Unless it is stopped, it argues, the security risk to commercial shipping from Somalia-based pirates will continue.
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Via: http://www.ihsmaritime360.com/
