Africa: Spanish trawlers armed against pirates

Madrid - Private security firms which protect Spanish fishing boats from Somalian pirates in the Indian Ocean will be allowed to use long-range weapons, Spain's junior defence minister said on Tuesday.

The announcement by Constantino Mendez followed three attempted assaults by pirates on tuna fish trawlers from Spain's northern Basque Country in the Indian Ocean earlier this month.

He was speaking to reporters following talks with the regional Basque government's chief for agriculture and fisheries, Pilar Unzalu, in Vitoria.

All 17 Spanish fishing trawlers currently operating in the Indian Ocean are from the Basque Country, public television TVE reported.

Many fishermen from the prosperous region bordering France, which has been wracked by decades of separatist violence, have accused Spain's central government in Madrid of not doing enough to protect them from pirate attacks.
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They have called for Spanish marines to ride onboard their ships to boost security but Mendez said that under Spanish law his ministry could not authorise a military escort for the fishing fleet.

In July France started placing French marines onboard French tuna trawlers that operate in the Indian Ocean in areas where attacks by Somalian pirates have taken place.

Spain in April allowed Spanish-flagged vessels to employ private security guards to protect them against pirates off the coast of Somalia, who often use rocket launchers and grenades in their attacks.

In April 2008 a tuna trawler from the Basque region was captured by pirates in the waters near Somalia and its crew held for six days before being freed. - AFP

Source Url: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?art_id=nw20090915224248319C496399

Posted By: Jan
AfricanCrisis Webmaster
Author of: Government by Deception

“Political language is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.”
(George Orwell)

My all time favourite movie quote is from the Dwarf in Lord of the Rings: "Certainty of death, small chance of success... what are we waiting for?"

Date Posted: Tuesday 22-Sep-2009
Truthtrawler, japanese industrial fishing boats are
emptying the mediterranean, european and japanese boats have emptied the coastal waters of somalia, thus taking away the livelihood of somalian fishermen.
Western industry is raping the planet wherever it finds the opportunity. Surely the somalians have a right to protect their waters and the west should respect other people's life and dignity. But we don't - since the first opium war we treat fellow humans of different cultures with appalling contempt!
We shall pay for it.

horst
greece

Date Posted: Monday 21-Sep-2009
I think the bigger concern would be about Europe’s waste dumping near the Somali coast.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_pirates#W...

Lars Pluss
San Francisco CA
USA

Date Posted: Sunday 20-Sep-2009
Hey Truth Trawler, I think it's about time you changed your nom de plume to 'Turd Crawler'

Aryan

Date Posted: Sunday 20-Sep-2009
Ah Truth Trawler... you are such an idiot... you racist.

The Whites are stealing nothing from Somalia. Somalia is a land of crimials and terrorists.

Stop your racism against whites, open your eyes and get some facts about the place before you run off like the racist ANC who rule this country and blame whites.

Look at the Caster Semenya issue... The idiots threaten "Third World War" and then the facts prove that their own guy lied. But its always nice and convenient to blame the whites! When in doubt... just BLAME THE WHITES!

Jan Lamprecht
Johannesburg
South Africa

Date Posted: Thursday 17-Sep-2009
At 'Truth' Trawler (more like DELUDED Trawler)

Hehe, thats funny. The only thing is, how does the Europeans rape and plunder WATER???
Especially seeing that there was nothing to plunder in the first place! haha...dream on...

Janolifant

Date Posted: Thursday 17-Sep-2009
Maybe the Somalis are tired of having their waters raped and plundered by Europeans.

Truth Trawler