Amidst the rising incidents of piracy among the world suffering from the global pandemic, the sea transport organization MUI said that it is a major cause of concern for more than two lakh Indian sailors, reports Daily Excelsior.
Rise in piracy
The Maritime Union of India (MUI), the oldest organization of the merchant navy in India, said piracy has increased about 26 percent due to the epidemic.
“The threat of piracy is a major cause of concern for more than two lakh Indian seafarers, as India accounts for about 9.35 percent of the global seafarers,” the MUI said in a statement.
A global piracy report published recently by the United Kingdom-based The ICC – International Maritime Bureau, indicates a rise in piracy and armed robbery on the world’s seas in the first nine months of 2020, with a 40 per cent increase in the number of kidnapping reported in the Gulf of Guinea, compared with the same period in 2019.
Pirates armed with guns and knives are abducting bigger groups of seafarers at further distances off the West African coast, MUI said quoting the report and added that it details 132 attacks since the start of 2020, up from 119 incidents in the same period last year.
Greed for money?
The statement said Benin, Angola, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana have the highest risk of piracy in the west coast of Africa.
MUI Secretary General Amar Singh Thakur said, “Unfortunately it has become a political issue because the governments of some countries are unable to control the various groups of pirates or do not want to do so, and the pirates without any difficulty Let’s collect weapons and ammunition.”
Thakur added that some citizens of underdeveloped countries are moving forward on this illegal path due to greed for some money, which has terrorized sea sailors from all over the world including Indian citizens.
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Source: Daily Excelsior
