The world’s longest standing shipping daily newspaper, Lloyd’s List, is joining the international shipping industry to combat the industry-wide issue of piracy.
Following the recent wave of attacks on merchant shipping vessels in the Gulf of Aden, the leading maritime and transport news portal has announced the launch of the industry’s first online forum dedicated to security in the shipping industry - www.lloydslist.com/piracy.
In just the first two weeks of October a total of 11 ships, with 255 seafarers on-board, were being held by Somali pirates.
Neville Smith, Deputy Editor of Lloyd’s List, comments says the situation is intolerable, with the lives of innocent seafarers being risked every day despite repeated pleas for more international naval protection against armed attacks.
"Lloyd’s List accepts that the industry must play its part in shaping the solution and our new dedicated portal is a first-step in providing more information on the main issues,” he maintains.
The new micro-site offers a wide-range of information to users and will be continually updated with data from a range of sources.
Lloyd’s List, the world's leader in maritime information and research, will upload comprehensive reports on areas across the globe on a regular basis, all of which will be available to visitors to the site.
A key feature of the micro-site will be an interactive world map of recent pirate attacks.
Linked to Google Maps, Lloyd’s List will use its Maritime intelligence unit (LMIU) network to update the map on a case by case basis.
Using information from LMIU’s database, the interactive map will show the management at shipping companies the current piracy hotspots allowing them to potentially re-route vessels on safer shipping lanes.
“We hope the micro-site will provide a strong platform to combat the threat of piracy in the industry," Smith says.
"As the leading source of news to the sector, it's imperative that more detailed information is available to our readers and the new features will benefit all those in the industry."
“We are calling for the coalition of international naval forces to dedicate resources and increase their patrols of the ‘hotspot’ areas," he adds.
"However, providing reports and the latest security news to international shippers will help shed light on the huge issue of piracy.”
In addition, the new site will include comments and opinions from the leading figures in the industry, making it the ultimate resource for shipping professionals interested in the issues of security.
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