DANES CONSIDERING CONVOYS AS POTENTIAL DETERRENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COPENHAGEN 000603

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM, AF, EB, AND EUR
FROM AMBASSADOR CAIN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM MOPS PGOV PREL PTER DA
SUBJECT: DANES CONSIDERING CONVOYS AS POTENTIAL DETERRENT
TO PIRACY


1. (SBU) Summary. Denmark, home to one of the world's
largest maritime shipping industries, is growing increasingly
alarmed by incidents of high-seas piracy in the Gulf of Aden
and off the Horn of Africa. The Danish government and
shipping associations have discussed with us the possibility
of requesting Allies already patrolling in the region to
consider the establishment of convoys for certain vessels as
an additional protection beyond already existing national and
multi-national patrols. The Danes, who currently hold the
rotating command of CTF-150, recognize that any additional
solutions need to avoid complicating already overlapping
mandates and missions among the many actors in the region
focused on piracy. And, while convoys in particular have in
the past met with resistance from some corners of the
maritime industry, both local Danish and other international
umbrella shipping organizations resident in Denmark suggest
that such resistance may be eroding. End Summary


2. (SBU) The Danish maritime industry is one of the world's
largest. With over 500 ships registered under the Danish
flag, shipping has grown to become Denmark's second-largest
export earner, with an aggregate turnover of over USD 20
billion. The Danes are thus intensely focused on the growing
incidence of high-seas piracy, particularly in the Gulf of
Aden and off the Horn of Africa, where many Danish-owned
ships transit on their way to global ports of call. Indeed,
following new attacks in recent days off the Coast of
Somalia, the Deputy Director of the Danish Shipowner's
Association, Jan Fritz Hansen, told the Danish press November
17 that "the situation has worsened in the waters off the
coast of Somalia... we need action." Former senior Maersk
executive and now Managing Director of the Clipper Shipping
Group, Tommy Thomsen, told me November 10 that Denmark's
maritime industry is desperately seeking new solutions to
piracy. Thomsen claimed that convoys, which the industry had
resisted in the past because they increase the time - and
therefore cost - taken for ships to transit troubled waters,
are now on the table.


3. (SBU) Danish shippers' concerns find resonance with their
global counterparts. BIMCO (The Baltic and International
Maritime Council),the world's largest private shipping
association (also resident in Denmark),is increasingly
seized with piracy issues. In a November 17 conversation
with PolOff, BIMCO Head of Security Giles Noakes (protect)
echoed Thomsen's comments, voicing concerns about the overall
level of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of
Africa. Noakes said that BIMCO has led a concerted industry
effort to publicize and raise the profile of piracy attacks,
and has been working with the IMO and others to also seek out
and support new anti-piracy initiatives. Noakes pointed to
the EU's Naval Coordination Cell (NAVCO) initiative, which
would seek to put additional patrol ships in the Gulf of
Aden/Horn region and improve coordination among regional
security providers (CTF-150, third country patrols, and
others). Noakes felt the most pressing need was to increase
the numbers of ships able to patrol in the Gulf of Aden/Horn
region, but he opined that, for some larger vessels, convoys
might now be a necessary option.


4. (SBU) Denmark's maritime industry's concerns are clearly
on the minds of Danish government leaders, and in particular
its defense community. On November 10 I discussed the
possibility of convoy facilitation with Defense Minister
Soren Gade, who indicated enthusiastic support. In a
November 14 meeting, Ministry of Defense EU/NATO Division
Chief Joachim Finkielman reiterated to DATT and PolOff that
Danish military planners were wondering whether it might not
be prudent to consider convoys for some ships transiting the
Gulf of Aden. Finkielman suggested that Denmark might be
open to working with a limited number of other partners
already in the area to organize and escort convoys,
particularly since the Danish MOD is also hearing that
shippers are now dropping their resistance to the idea in the
face of ongoing attacks. Finkielman said that the Danes
envision using current command and control structures
(Finkielman pointed to U.S. 7th Fleet HQ in Manama) and
stressed the need to coordinate existing assets to escort
convoys. Denmark is not looking to increase the number of

COPENHAGEN 00000603 002 OF 002


national or multinational anti-piracy initiatives active in
the region, he said, but to simply make the existing ones
more effective. Denmark would hope for participation in
convoys from multiple partners, be they CTF-150, individual
ships under national OPCON, or others.


5. (SBU) Comment: The Danish government and maritime
industry representatives are in the early stages of a search
for consensus on the use of convoys as one potential solution
to the ongoing problem of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off
the Horn of Africa. The Danes, given their leading position
in the global maritime shipping business, are ideally
positioned to push for this, but they also recognize their
limitations. Even as they exercise leadership in CTF-150,
the Danes caution that their limited national military
resources, and their national defense opt-out on EU military
operations, leave them with little option other than to seek
out help from larger regional Allies. I believe such a
convoy to be a worthwhile idea to consider and have informed
Admiral Fitzgerald of the Danes' interest in coordinating
with the U.S. Navy on such a convoy. End Comment.
CAIN