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February 22nd, 2009
By Patrick Beja
As Mv Faina, the cargo ship that was captured by pirates for nearly five months along the Somali waters, off-loaded its military cargo at the Mombasa port after being freed, regional states were setting up a centre in Yemen to co-ordinate the fight against the vice.
The Ukrainian vessel with heavy weapons, destined for Mombasa port, spent five months in the hands of pirates, and finally reached its destination last Thursday, after a ransom was paid.
And states in the region have picked Yemen to host the eagerly awaited coordination and information centre, in a bid to counter pirates off the Somalia Coast.
Yemen was selected due to its proximity to Somalia that is prone to sea banditry.
The facility would enhance sharing of information among countries and international forces deployed to counter piracy.
"Many vessels have been attacked from that area and the forces fighting pirates are based in nearby Djibouti," said Mr Jerome Ntibarekerwa, secretary general of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa (Pmaesa).
Approval of centre
Pmaesa, 
The regional rescue coordination centre based in Mombasa, and regional sub-centres in Dar es Salaam, Seychelles and South
Seaports in the region have been put on high alert over possible presence of a complex pirate network in ports outside Somalia, which is reportedly providing the necessary information to Somali pirates leading to the seizure of ships.
Ntibarekerwa said piracy has become sophisticated with the perpetrators using modern equipment and vessels that enable them co-ordinate the capture of vessels and communicate with owners to facilitate negotiation for ransom.
How they operate
"Pirates have become well-connected and it is possible that they have their people in different ports. We are asking our ports to be more vigilant," said Ntibarekerwa.
He was briefing the press on the outcome of a regional meeting on maritime security, piracy and armed robbery against ships for states in the Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Red Sea regions held in Djibouti last month.
He expressed hope that the war against piracy could be won because Somalia had a new President.
source.standard.ke