Maritime piracy has been on the rise during the past decade. Large-scale attacks off the coast of Somalia in 2008 prompted the deployment of an ongoing international coalition of navies to the Gulf of Aden.To enable seafarers and their families to emerge unharmed from these traumatic conditions a pan industry alliance of ship owners, unions, manning agents, insurers and welfare associations has come together to form Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP). This programme aims at providing humanitarian response and support to seafarers and their families who are affected by piracy and armed robbery incidents. This addresses the three phases of piracy attacks – Pre, during and post-incident.
MPHRP India conducted a Seafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness Training pilot course at the Indian Maritime Training Centre (IMTC), Mumbai. This training was attended by 21 seafarers of different ranks with 11 observers from maritime industry comprising representatives of INSA, MASSA and FOSMA. The module was well accepted and the need to have piracy preparedness training for seafarers was emphasised at the training.
Mr. Chirag Bahri, Regional Director of MRHRP India/ South Asia, gave an explanatory and informative presentation on several details related to piracy and the role of MRHRP
• 3,863 seafarers were assaulted by pirates during the initial stages of an attack by firing weapons.
• 1,206 individuals were held captive in 2011 by pirate gangs.
• 26 hostages have been held for over 2 years.
• 123 hostages have been held for over 1 year.
• 6 tourists and aid workers
• 35 hostages died in 2011
He spoke about MPHRP’s first phase of deliverables, which included good practice, associated training modules, an international network of trained first-responders with appropriate skills within partners and associated organisations, access to a network of professional aftercare and a 24-hour seafarer’s international telephone helpline.
The training was led by Mr. Toon van de Sande, Assisant Programme Director, and Mr. Cyrus Mody of the International Maritime Bureau.
During the Press briefing, Mr. Toon said: “Training is an essential element in the education of seafarers. Preparing seafarers for an incident of piracy is essential because a seafarer prepared for piracy will be a better seafarer. He stated that the essential elements in the training are: paying attention to the individual and the role of the family in the life of a seafarer. Also the best management practices to deter piracy off the coast of Somalia formed an essential part of this training”.
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