Asia-Pacific

India mulls over new law to tackle sea piracy

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-01-16 16:32

NEW DELHI - India is mulling over a new law to handle piracy in the wake of rising incidents of the country's ships being hijacked by pirates in the seas, particularly in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, said an Indian official on Sunday.

"The government is working on a legislation to deal with the problem of piracy. In 2010, 12 Indian mechanized sailing vessels with 174 Indian nationals were hijacked," Indian Shipping Minister G.K. Vasan told media in the national capital.

He added, "About 15 Indian ships pass through the Gulf of Aden every month. The only alternative route to Europe is via Cape of Good Hope, which adds two to three weeks of sailing time and is also not safe."

Stating that India has already raised concerns before the United Nations about piracy, the Minister said, "The Indian delegations to International Maritime Organization have expressed serious concern over the piracy incidents and have urged the need for the UN to lead the initiative to mitigate piracy."