Comments on: Cruise Ship Detours Guests Around Gulf of Aden http://gcaptain.com/cruise-ship-provides-guests-with-alternative-form-of-transport-around-gulf-of-aden/?4401 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 07:11:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Thomas Wiegold http://gcaptain.com/cruise-ship-provides-guests-with-alternative-form-of-transport-around-gulf-of-aden/?4401#comment-15245 Thomas Wiegold Tue, 09 Dec 2008 22:24:51 +0000 http://gcaptain.com/maritime/blog/?p=4401#comment-15245 I'm giving some details in my blog, but, alas, it's in German... <a href="http://wiegold.focus.de/augen_geradeaus/2008/12/unter-falscher-flagge.html" rel="nofollow">see here</a> In a nutshell: the company contacted the German Armed Forces as well as the transport ministry. Officials obviously raised the question a) why they intended to send passengers thru dangerous waters for which the foreign ministry had issued a travel warning and b) that they should think twice which country is their flag state before turning to the German government. The MS Columbus is owned and operated by a German company, partially with a German crew - but it's flying the flag of the Bahamas. Now the Bahamas, obviously, don't own warships to protect vessels in the Gulf of Aden. It seems the German government is taking a hard stand on German shipowners asking for protection, indicating that those companies who search protection of German warships should think first why they don't fly the German flag anymore. I’m giving some details in my blog, but, alas, it’s in German…

see here

In a nutshell: the company contacted the German Armed Forces as well as the transport ministry. Officials obviously raised the question a) why they intended to send passengers thru dangerous waters for which the foreign ministry had issued a travel warning and b) that they should think twice which country is their flag state before turning to the German government.

The MS Columbus is owned and operated by a German company, partially with a German crew – but it’s flying the flag of the Bahamas.

Now the Bahamas, obviously, don’t own warships to protect vessels in the Gulf of Aden.

It seems the German government is taking a hard stand on German shipowners asking for protection, indicating that those companies who search protection of German warships should think first why they don’t fly the German flag anymore.

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