Cambridge, ON May 8, 2014– Recently, the One Earth Future Foundation published its 2013 analysis of the economic ramifications surrounding maritime piracy and examines the costs incurred as a result of piracy occurring off the coast of Somalia, as well as in the Gulf of Guinea. This analysis was done as part of the Oceans Beyond Piracy Project. This project was implemented to increase awareness in the international community and to work towards finding an effective response to solve the immediate crisis associated with piracy. The study shows that while the number of piracy attacks was significantly reduced in 2013, there still remain 50 hostages in captivity and the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a real danger.
exactEarth provided exactAIS® data to the project to establish shipping trends in highly pirated waters. In order to avoid high risk areas, vessels frequently re-route, costing shipping companies millions of dollars each year. exactAIS data was also used to determine speed and routes taken in at risk areas as vessels changed their normal patterns of behaviour to prevent or avoid pirate attacks. Increased speed and/or longer routes require more fuel consumption, and greater engine wear, which has both financial impacts to the operators and environmental impacts due to pollution and greenhouse gas emission.
“exactEarth-USA provided vessel tracking data and assisted in analyzing the data for the Oceans Beyond Piracy Project. Combatting Maritime Piracy is of utmost importance to the global shipping economy and exactEarth is honored that our data can play a role in this critical analysis. We look forward to continuing our work with the One Earth Future Foundation” said Regional Sales Director, Chandler Smith of exactEarth-USA.
About the One Earth Future Foundation
Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) is a project of One Earth Future Foundation (OEF). OEF is a private foundation located near Denver, Colorado in the United States, which is committed to multi-stakeholder initiatives to resolve issues related to conflict. OBP encourages close cooperation across the international maritime community to develop long-term, sustainable solutions to piracy. More information can be found at: www.oceansbeyondpiracy.org
For further information on the report, please contact Jens Madsen at jvmadsen@oneearthfuture.org
About exactEarth Ltd.
exactEarth, based in Cambridge, Ontario, is a data services company providing the most advanced information on global maritime traffic available today. exactAIS® delivers an unrivalled view of the recognized maritime picture at a global scale. Offering fully secure data in a variety of industry standard formats and delivery methods, exactEarth’s data provides real value for a wide range of operational maritime applications delivering operational efficiencies, enhancing security, safeguarding the environment, and assisting in saving lives. For more information, visit www.exactearth.com