YEMEN TO INAUGURATE ANTI-PIRACY CENTER IN THIS QUARTER

SANA'A, Jan. 21 (Saba) - Yemen's Maritime Authority has said that a regional center to fight surging piracy off Somalia would be opened in the first quarter of this year in Sana'a.

The center that would work to coordinate and share information about the fight on piracy and burglary against ships off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden is now being equipped with support from the International Maritime Organization and a number of countries affected by the phenomena, said deputy director of the authority Muhammad al-Bawani.

With the implementation of the center, Yemen has already achieved one of its pledges under the Djibouti Anti-Piracy Code of Conduct, he said.

In a paper on Yemen's role in combating piracy delivered at a symposium on piracy off Somalia and its impacts on national security in Yemen, al-Bawani urged other regional countries to join the code that was signed by nine countries including Yemen early last year.

In recent years, Somali pirates have stepped up their attacks against merchant vessels off Somalia, threatening one of the world's busiest waterways in the region.

2008 witnessed the large number of recorded attacks that reached more than 140 incidents, out of which 42 hijackings.

In 2009, about 46 hijackings were registered along with 210 attempted pirate attacks, while 2007 was the year of less pirate attacks and attempted hijackings, with only 20 incidents registered.

The surge drew the world's attention with countries topped by the U.S., the European Union, Russia, China, Japan and others whose ships pass in the region dispatching anti-pirate missions into the region.

Many pirates were arrested and handed to Yemen. Some of those handed went on trial in Yemen, getting sentences after confessing to hijacking and attempted pirate attacks.

FR