“HONG KONG TO HOST UNIQUE CONFERENCE ON MARITIME PIRACY”

A rather unique conference, which has been organized by the Hong Kong Branch of the Nautical Institute,  and is co-sponsored by the Hong Kong Ship Owners’ Association, is to be held on Friday, 13^th November,  at the Mariners’ Club in Tsim Sha Tsui.

The Nautical Institute is a multinational organization headquartered in London, England, whose members are mainly master mariners and senior maritime personnel, some of whom are still serving at sea while others are working ashore in various sectors of the maritime industry.  Its Hong Kong Branch is currently celebrating its 25^th anniversary and its membership includes shipmasters, harbour pilots,  government marine administrators,  maritime lawyers, marine insurance personnel, executives of ship owning and ship management companies, marine surveyors, consultants and specialists in other maritime services.

The Institute is dedicated to enhancing the art and science of seafaring and improving maritime safety, by supporting maritime education, encouraging professionalism, issuing publications and holding meetings, seminars and conferences.    

The aim of the present conference, the “Hong Kong International Piracy Conference 2009  is to provide a forum for military officers involved in the fight against piracy in the NW Indian Ocean and elsewhere in the world, to discuss anti-piracy operations with members of the maritime community

The conference came about when some of the naval organizations charged with protecting merchant shipping in pirate-threatened areas of the world found they were experiencing difficulties communicating with their civilian counterparts in the shipping industry.  The idea was suggested of holding a joint conference where there could be a frank exchange of views between both sides.  This came to the attention of one of the committee members of the Hong Kong branch of the Nautical Institute, who was attending some naval meetings in his capacity as a senior officer in his country’s naval reserve. It was he who suggested to his naval colleagues that the conference should be held in Hong Kong, from where a large proportion of the world’s merchant fleet is controlled. 

Presentations at the conference will include an opening address by Hong Kong’s Director of Marine,  and keynote addresses by the deputy director of the Naval Bureau, Operations Dept. of the PLA Navy General Staff HQ, Senior Captain Hu Gangfeng, and the Commander of the Combined Maritime Forces carrying out anti-piracy operations in the Middle East, Commodore Timothy Lowe.

This will be followed by addresses by the Deputy Commander of the PLA Navy’s Southern Fleet, and the head of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) covering the military aspects of the war on piracy.  There will then be addresses by a Hong Kong Police Superintendent working with the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) on the law-enforcement aspects of anti-piracy work, an address by the Chaplain of the Dubai Seamen’s Mission on the human aspects, an address by an expert on maritime security training, and addresses by experts on General Average, Maritime Law and Maritime Protection and Indemnity Insurance.   Finally, there will be a panel discussion where both the military and the civilian speakers will answer questions from the audience.  This should provide much food for thought to both the military and the civilian sides, and give each an insight into how their counterparts are thinking.

It is hoped that the Hong Kong conference will play a useful role in coordinating policy on the control of piracy, and play a useful role in making the seas safer for merchant shipping and for seamen of all nationalities.