London: The UN's maritime agency launched a new drive against piracy on Thursday amid concerns that the seizing of ships by Somali pirates was outstripping international attempts to stop them.
"Piracy seems to be outpacing the efforts of the international community to stem it," United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a speech at the launch of the International Maritime Organization's (IMO) initiative in London.
The plan aims to increase pressure at a political level to secure the release of all hostages being held by pirates and promote greater coordination between navies.
Ban said ransom payments running into hundreds of millions of dollars had created a "pirate economy" in some parts of largely lawless Somalia.
"The threat to international trade routes is clear," he said. [04/02/11]
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