Ship owners want military to stop Somali pirates

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) -- A shipping body and tanker owners from around the world on Monday called for a military blockade along the coast of Somalia to intercept pirate vessels heading out to sea. Peter Swift, managing director of the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners, said stronger naval action -- including aerial and aviation support -- is necessary to battle rampant piracy in the Gulf of Aden near Somalia. Some 20 tankers sail through the sea lane daily but many tanker owners are considering a massive detour around southern Africa to avoid pirates, which will delay delivery and push cost up by 30 percent, he said. The association, whose members own 2,900 tankers or 75 percent of the world's fleet, opposes attempts to arm merchant ships because this may escalate the violence and put crew members at risk, he said. "The other option is perhaps putting a blockade around Somalia and introducing the idea of intercepting vessels leaving Somalia rather than to try to protect the whole of the Gulf of Aden," said Swift.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa/11/24/somalia.pirates.crackdown.military.ap/index.html?eref=rss_topstories