Workshop on fighting piracy [Archives:2006/912/Local News]

SANA'A, Jan. 15 ) The International Marine Organization (IMO) organizes currently a regional workshop in Oman on fighting piracy and armed robbery against ships. Yemen participates in this workshop, which is being held between the 14 and 18 of this month.

In April Last year, the IMO had organized a regional workshop in Sana'a regarding the same issue, in cooperation with the Yemeni General Marines Authority. It resulted important regional and international decisions.

In a statement to Yemen Times, Mr. Khalid Ibrahim Al-Wazeer, head of the of the Yemeni Marine Authority, said that Yemen had earlier sensed the seriousness of piracy over international trade navigation, as it commands the Bab Al-Mandab strait, through which about 20 thousand ships annually pass. Yemen also occupies a strategic position, which raises its concern over the phenomenon. Al-Wazeer added that the authority is preparing a regional cooperation agreement on fighting piracy and armed ship robbery, in the red sea area. However he assured that all issues are being discussed by the region's countries in Oman's workshop.

Each of Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Yemen are participating in this workshop. Representatives from the IMO, UN, Interpol, Italian and British Admiralty, International Shipment Chamber and the British Maine Cargo are also present in this workshop.
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