Intertanko calls for Somali port blockade

Intertanko director Peter Swift has called for a naval blockade off the Somali coast to stop pirate vessels going out to attack shipping, and he wants the naval forces operating in the area to be co-ordinated by the UN.

The BBC reports, however, that NATO's secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer says that the alliance is not considering any naval blockade. He says that such action has not been endorsed by the UN Security Council, adding: This is, at the moment, not in the cards. Meanwhile it is becoming clear that, following the hijack of the VLCC Sirius Star that many tanker owners, including Danish-based giant AP Moller-Maersk, are planning to use the Cape of Good Hope route. Mr Swift says that this would raise costs by 30%.

Source: http://www.mglobal.com