THE United Arab Emirates is holding a counter-piracy conference jointly organised by port operator DP World in Dubai on April 18-19.

    Several foreign ministers, shipping line CEOs and a number of experts on maritime issues and international law will participate in the event, said a statement distributed by FeedBurner.

    Parallel to the main conference, the UAE and the United Nations will hold a fundraising event in support of the Trust Fund to Support Initiatives of States Countering Piracy off the Coast of Somalia. Its aim is to attract new and traditional donors to the fund, which was established in January 2010 by the UN Secretary-General at the request of the international Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia.

    organisers of the conference said that in the first two months of the year, more than 80 commercial cargo ships came under attack in the Gulf of Aden with 19 vessels hijacked. Forty ships are currently estimated to be under pirate control, together with 800 mariners captive, many in "appalling" conditions. The financial cost of piracy to global trade is estimated to be around US$12 billion a year.

    For further details about the conference and registration, visit www.counterpiracy.ae.

(Source:http://www.schednet.com)