WFP Logistics Piracy / Naval Escorts IMO, London

WFP Logistics
Piracy / Naval Escorts
IMO, London
15 May 2012

FACTS
• For WFP, ocean transport is the main, most costeffective
and timely way of delivering food aid to
Somalia
• Almost 100% of the Somalia relief food moves by sea
mainly from Mombasa to northern Somali ports and
Mogadishu
• Since the start of naval escorts, not a single ship loaded
with WFP food heading to Somalia was attacked by
pirates
• More than 800,000 tons of WFP food have been escorted
safely to Somalia since November 2007

FACTS - continued
• Naval escorts are provided on a humanitarian basis at no
cost to WFP, with only one interruption in July/August
2008.
• During that period, some ship owners refused to load
WFP food without naval escorts. Others demanded much
higher freight rates because of the increased risk. Only a
few ship owners with smaller, older vessels risked being
hijacked , so the tonnage delivered declined significantly
during this time.
• Since the EU NAVFOR operation ATALANTA mission
started in December 2008, close to 100 ships loaded
with over half a million tons of food have been escorted
safely to Somali ports.

Availability of ships trading Somalia
• There is a limit to the number of ship owners
prepared to allow their vessels operate in Somali
waters.
• There are usually the older, less valued and less
sought after vessels which trade this dangerous
waters.
• With the provision of naval escorts, WFP was
able to charter vessels which might otherwise
not accept such assignments.
• WFP is therefore limited in the number and
quality of vessels available for charter.

•Coordination EU ATALANTA/WFP
• WFP provides a daily advise notice on WFP
charter ships positions and projections to:
EU ATALANTA
MARLO/The NATO Shipping centre
UKMTO Dubai
IMO
EU OHQ
Escorting Navy

Challenges
• The protection to WFP charter ships ends
after the hand-over of the vessel to the
Somali port.
• Port stay and discharging of WFP vessels
is without coverage of EU ATALANTA.
• After discharge WFP commodities and
sailing ex Somali ports, vessels have no
escort coverage/naval protection.

Challenges continued
• Convoys and time of shipments ex
Mombasa/Djibouti are sometimes difficult to
organize due to delays of cargoes on incoming
transit vessels.
• WFP can not always wait to accumulate transit
stocks but has to move commodities as per
programming requirements to avoid pipeline
breaks for some urgent needed foods.
• There are periods during which only a limited
number of EU NAVFOR escort vessels are
available.

Solutions
• EU NAVFOR Autonomous Vessel Protection
Detachments (AVPD’s).
• WFP long term time charter arrangements
with modern, faster vessels who
accommodate AVPD’s.
• Long term agreements with vessel Flag
States, Somali Authorities, TFG and UN
Sanction Committe to keep AVPD’s on
board during vessels stay in territorial

Statement
• Without naval escorts, WFP’s maritime supply
route for live-saving food assistance to Somalia
would be severely under threat.
• WFP remains extremely grateful to the EU
NAVFOR ATALANTA operation for committing
itself to escorting ships carrying WFP food since
2008, giving us the long-term protection that
our shipments need.