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New York,
September 12, 2009 – In a September 9 ceremony held at the United
Nations on the eve of a meeting of the international Contact Group on
Piracy off the Coast of Somalia, the United States signed the New York
Declaration, in which it committed to promulgate internationally
recognized best management practices for protection of ships against
piracy attacks.
The maritime industry, including that of the United States, was
instrumental in creating and implementing these best practices, having
adopted and documented self-protection measures against piracy as part
of its compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security
Code. The United States’ formal signature indicates its commitment to
implementing measures that it has already encouraged and followed.
Cyprus, Japan, Singapore, and the United Kingdom joined the United
States in signing the Declaration.
Panama, the Bahamas, Liberia and the Marshall Islands, four of the
leading ship-registry states, originally announced and adopted the New
York Declaration during the Contact Group’s previous meeting on May 29,
2009 (www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2009/05/124107.htm). Now, nine nations
have committed to put in place effective measures that make it far more
difficult for their flagged vessels to be seized by pirates. Examples of
the best practices, developed and implemented by all of the major
international shipping industry organizations, include increasing
lookouts, ensuring that ladders are raised, and readying fire pumps to
repel boarders.
The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia will meet on
September 10, 2009, at the United Nations. During the plenary, the
United States will urge all other Contact Group participants to join in
signing the New York Declaration.
The United States participates actively in the Contact Group, requires
its merchant fleet to adopt and document these self-protection measures,
chairs the Contact Group’s Working Group on Strengthening Shipping
Self-Awareness and Other Capabilities, engages in criminally prosecuting
suspected pirates, conducts naval patrols off the Horn of Africa, and
provides support to NATO and European Union counter-piracy operations in
those areas.
To learn more about the United States’ and international community’s
response to piracy off the coast of Somalia, visit
www.state.gov/t/pm/rls/fs/128540.htm.
PRN: 2009/892
Source: US.gov, September 10, 2009
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