US to ban ransom-paying owners?
LEGISLATION is being planned in the US that could bar the vessels of ransom-paying ship owners from US ports, according to several Congressional staffers contacted by Fairplay.
The move is in response to administration claims that ransoms paid to pirates to secure the release of vessels, cargoes and crews are making it more difficult to combat the piracy scourge.
The legislative idea was officially rejected today by the Council of American Master Mariners. CAMM president Cal Hunziker told Fairplay that the idea was “overreaching by Congress” and “would dramatically impede commerce”.
Meanwhile, the Somali region known to be home to many of the country’s pirates now has its own lobbyist on Capitol Hill.
The state of Puntland, autonomous since 1998, has hired the Washington DC lobbying firm Duane Morris to represent its interests with the US Congress. That relationship was discovered in filing documents obtained by Fairplay from the US Justice Department.
Duane Morris, a law and government affairs firm, has confirmed that it has agreed to represent Puntland for $10,000 a month to make the case on Capitol Hill and within the Obama administration to obtain assistance and funds for security, infrastructure, social services, healthcare, mass media and the democratisation process.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says a State Department diplomatic team will meet with the Somali government and regional leaders in Puntland to discuss a proposed – but not yet Congressionally approved – $5M grant to improve Somali security services.