Yemen Coastguard ‘Round the Clock’ on Pirates
by Sail-World Cruising/Ismail Al-Ghabiri, Yemen Times on 11 Mar 2007
Gulf of Aden - so called ’pirate alley’ SW
In further good news for the cruising sailor in the ‘pirate prone’ Gulf of Aden, it was revealed yesterday during a court case in Yemen against an Egyptian fishing boat that the Yemen Coast Guard had been supplied with modern boats and equipment to guard against illegal fishing and pirates.
Ismail Al-Ghabiri, writing in the Yemen Times wrote that ‘Well-informed sources revealed that Yemen’s government enacted effective procedures to protect international navigation and fight piracy acts and random fishing in its regional waters.
‘The same sources said the government deployed organized patrols from Yemeni coast guards working round the clock to observe illegal activities in Yemeni regional waters and combat piracy acts targeting Yemeni fishermen and ships.
‘They confirmed that the government supplied the coast guards with modern boats and equipment to protect international navigation and set permanent observance checkpoints to offer navigational services and guide ships sailing in Yemeni regional waters.
‘Many local fishermen were exposed to and detained during piracy acts by Somali pirates, but Yemen’s government later contacted Somali authorities, which released them.
‘Yemen shares territorial waters with Somalia, whose coastal waters have become among the world’s most dangerous in the 14 years it has lacked a central government.’
If you want to link to this article then please use this URL: www.sail-world.com/31666
