Union asks UK to alter non-payment ransom stance

Nautilus International has written a letter to foreign secretary David Miliband urging him to reconsider the position, with the Anglo-Dutch officer union’s stance backed up last week by leading international shipowner grouping BIMCO.
The development comes after reports that Mr Miliband’s department intervened to block a deal that would have freed kidnapped yachtsman Paul Chandler and his wife Rachel for just £100,000 (US$162,000), on account of Britain’s policy that money should not be paid in such situations.
The Foreign Office has previously stated in writing that while the conduct of negotiations remains a matter for the operator of the vessel involved, no “substantive concessions” should be made to hostage takers and that giving in to ransom demands increases the risk of further hostage taking.
Yet almost all western shipowners to fall victim to Somali pirates have ended up forking out the cash.
Insurance companies, frequently based in London, most of the time ultimately pick up the tab.
Moreover, other UK shipping services organisations are known to have profited from ransom transactions.
Professional negotiators charge a six-figure commission for their services and leading law firms often bill several hundred thousand dollars for their advice in these matters.
Sources in the private security sector say that while the release of ships without handing over money is not entirely unknown, the chances of this happening for the average shipowner are for all practical purposes, minimal.
Experts at Maritime and Underwater Security Consultants said that in a handful of cases, Islamic shipowners had been able to appeal to the religious sentiment of clan leaders and thereby secure the return of a vessel without payment.
Some ships have been recovered after armed intervention and there have been persistent rumours that on one occasion pirate prisoners were exchanged for western seafarers.
But shipowners from developed countries as a rule end up meeting Somali demands.
Now Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson has written to Mr Miliband, stating that the Anglo-Dutch union wished to express concern at the government’s line.
“We can see no option but to pay to secure the release of seafarers who have been taken hostage and until we hear of a viable alternative that would ensure the safety of our members in such circumstances, I believe we have to continue questioning the government’s approach,” Mr Dickinson said.
“Merchant ships and their crews are vital to world trade and global prosperity and I believe that their well being and security deserves to be taken with the utmost seriousness and priority.”
BIMCO security chief Giles Noakes said: “The freedom of the seas cannot be guaranteed by governments and navies.
If an owner has a vessel taken, his first consideration remains the safety and security of the seafarers.
Given that he has no idea what the end result would be if he did not pay the ransom, he has no choice.”
“In a normal world, BIMCO would not approve of the payment of ransoms. But BIMCO understands entirely the predicament in which such an owner finds himself. Naturally we would try to encourage an owner to negotiate the release of his crew for as little as possible. But it is going to be a very brave owner who doesn’t pay.”