The (Ex) Washington Realist

Last month, I suggested the development of a Piracy Security Initiative; as one of its components, I argued for "the governments who register and flag merchant vessels impose and enforce standards that would make the pirates’ job harder."

The Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (Contact Group) held its third meeting in New York City on May 29, 2009. One of the items adopted:

Panama, Liberia, the Bahamas and the Marshall Islands signed the New York Declaration, in which they state that they will promulgate internationally recognized best management practices for protection of ships against piracy attacks and require that all vessels flying their flags adopt and document self-protection measures as part of their compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code.

Movement in the right direction!