Union urges talks on piracy threat

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The number of violent attacks on seafarers worldwide hit an all-time high of 238 in the first six months of this year. This compared with 198 in the first half of 2006 and only 48 in the January-June 2005 period.

Figures from the International Maritime Board (IMB) showed that between January and June this year, 13 vessels were hijacked by heavily-armed attackers, 152 crew members were taken hostage, 41 were kidnapped, 20 assaulted and three killed.

Brian Orrell, general secretary of ships' officers' union Nautilus, has written to Foreign Secretary David Miliband describing the statistics as "disturbing".

Mr Orrell went on: "We have consistently made the case for tangible naval protection to be given to merchant shipping in the most dangerous areas.

"We have also repeatedly requested that the security of merchant shipping should form part of consideration during bilateral or multilateral trade talks.

"Some 95% of world trade goes by sea, and the attacks on shipping represent a very real threat to established principles of navigational freedom."

Seventeen cases of piracy have been recorded this year off the coast of Somalia in east Africa.

In November 2005, armed pirates attacked the cruise liner Seabourn Spirit 100 miles off the coast of Somalia. The vessel, whose passengers included 20 Britons, managed to fight off the pirates.

The IMB said there was a strong case for naval protection off Somalia. There have also been a number of attacks this year off Nigeria.