20110125
reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Better equipped Somali pirates operating deep at sea threaten oil tankers in key waterways, and more naval firepower is "desperately needed" to combat the growing risk, shipping groups warned on Tuesday.

Seaborne gangs are making tens of millions of dollars in ransoms, and despite successful efforts to quell attacks in the Gulf of Aden, international navies have struggled to contain piracy in the Indian Ocean owing to the vast distances involved.

Shipping associations BIMCO, the International Chamber of Shipping, INTERCARGO and INTERTANKO said in a joint statement on Tuesday the situation had "changed radically" in recent weeks due to new pirate tactics, which included heavier firepower.

"They make greater use of so-called mother ships, some of them large hijacked vessels, which has vastly expanded their range of operation to encompass much of the Arabian Sea between the Gulf of Aden, Somalia and India," the statement said.

"Over 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil supply now passes through waters at high risk from pirate attack."

The groups urged immediate action by governments "before these tactics make trading in the area almost impossible".

They added, "We call on the world's governments to note the extent to which additional international naval assets in this region are desperately needed."

Responding to the growing threat, London's marine insurance market last month expanded the stretch of waterways deemed high risk from seaborne raiders to include the Gulf of Oman and a wider stretch of the Indian Ocean.