Statement by Hon. Fred Mitchell MP

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration

29th October 2014

Dubai

UAE: COUNTER-PIRACY CONFERENCE

Highnesses, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

On behalf of the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, I would like to thank the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates for extending an invitation to The Bahamas to participate in this Counter-piracy conference.

The Bahamas is an island archipelagic nation with the fifth largest flag registry in the world and a category C Member of the International Maritime Organization. Further, The Bahamas has a direct investment in maritime affairs, with over fifteen hundred ships consisting of some fifty-eight million gross tons on our ship registry and it is the fifth highest contributor to the IMO budget representing 5.9%. The Bahamas remains the flag of choice for 140 passenger ships with the world’s largest ships, the Quantum of the Sea, the Royal Caribbean "Oasis" and the Allure of the Sea flying its flag.

In Grand Bahama, the Freeport Container Port is currently the deepest container terminal in the region and serves as a major container transshipment hub for the eastern seaboard of the US and the principal hub for east/west line-haul routes through the region.

Fellow Delegates, it is for these reasons, namely Tourism, Trade and Global Security that The Bahamas recognizes the fundamental importance of enhancing maritime security and the expanded scope of maritime safety.

Therefore, it is an honour for me to address this Conference where over the course of two days we will discuss this most critical matter of Counter-Piracy and a way forward. It is a matter with which The Bahamas identifies and to which we are committed to working with the international community to eliminate.

Over the past few years The Bahamas has made strides in our counter-piracy regime.

In May 2009, the Bahamas and the Republic of Liberia, the Marshall Islands and Panama signed the New York Declaration, an agreement between signatory flag states condemning acts of piracy and armed robbery, and to commit to best management practices to avoid, deter or delay acts of piracy.

The Bahamas is also a signatory to "the declaration Condemning acts of violence against seafarers” and the complementary maritime humanitarian response programme. The Bahamas has consistently demonstrated its commitment to cooperate with its international partners in the fight against piracy.

The Bahamas has partnered with the United States of America in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two countries in expanding cooperation on counter-piracy and maritime security in compliance with United Nations General Assembly resolution 66/231 adopted April 2012. This MOU recognizes the crucial role of international cooperation in addressing the threats to maritime safety and security, including piracy and armed robbery at sea. Further, the MOU called for bilateral and multilateral instruments and mechanism with a goal of monitoring, preventing and responding to such threats and called upon states to give immediate attention to adopting, concluding and implementing cooperation agreements at a regional level.

The MOU established a framework that fosters cooperation in countering piracy through information sharing and other resources. This partnership identifies points of contact and protocols of communication as well as clearly defined protocols for evidence required for prosecutions in addition to technical assistance and capacity building efforts to be provided to The Bahamas by the United States of America.

In May of this year, the Bahamas Maritime Authority issued an information bulletin regarding Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ship, which served as Guidance and instruction for Bahamas recognized organizations, Bahamas approved nautical inspectors, ship owners, managers and masters.The said bulletin provides guidance on the risks to vessels from piracy and armed robbery that continue to be a significant threat in the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Somali Basin, Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea and the waters of the Malacca Straits, Indonesia and South China Sea.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is the view of the Government of The Bahamas thatarmed guards and convoys have cut down the incidences of piracy. However, the greater issue is to stabilize the countries with piracy regimes, through economic growth, which would be the greatest prevention and will make the countries more accountable. The challenges we face in the twenty-first century require the nations of the world to work together. We pledge to help in that effort.

In this regard, The Bahamas supports the President of the Federal Republic of Somalia who proclaimed the maritime boundaries in June of this year and which was acknowledged by the United Nations.Proclaiming the maritime boundaries is an integral step in addressing the issue of Illegal Fishing and Dumping.The Bahamas notes the objection by Republic of Yemen to the list of geographical coordinates of points which define the limits of the Exclusive Economic Zone of Somalia, but The Bahamas firmly believes that after years of pressure by the international community on Somalia, this is the first step in the right direction.

The Government of the Bahamas reaffirms the international legal framework and best practices that are applicable to combating piracy and armed robbery at sea.

In concluding, let me express my sincere hope that we here at this meeting will provide the drive to further build upon the counter piracy regime through cooperation between countries, and let us pledge to spare no effort to rid the world of modern day piracy, for our countries and the global community.

Thank You.