Pirate attacks on shipping headed for the Suez Canal worry Egypt, but an international crackdown on piracy should soon bear fruit, an Egyptian official said Monday.
Piracy "is a big issue" for Egypt, said Trade and Industry Minister Rachid Mohamed Rachid. The country draws substantial revenues from Suez shipping fees.
Increasing pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia have prompted some shippers to opt for the long route round Africa, avoiding the Suez, which lies north of the troubled area.
"Especially for us, being in a close-by area that could affect the passage of the Suez Canal is of great concern," Rachid said in an interview with The Associated Press.
"Obviously we will take all the measures needed to ensure the Suez Canal traffic, but I believe that this will take a global effort in the next few weeks," Rachid said.
Warships from NATO, the U.S. Navy, and a coalition of other nations are patrolling the area to secure a safe shipping corridor to the Suez.
"We cannot allow that a few outlaw people will decide how world trade will be impacted," Rachid said. "I am sure that (with) the measures announced in the last few days some dramatic change of the situation will happen here."
Pirated have attacked 95 times in the area this year, hijacking 39 ships, including a Saudi supertanker loaded with $100 million worth of crude oil. Fifteen ships with nearly 300 crew members are still in the hands of Somali pirates.
"The simple fact that today something like piracy, which people never imagined that in the 21st century (we) would be facing such a threat is appearing in one part of the world, is definitely making many, many people worried," Rachid said.
The Gulf of Aden, off Somalia, connects to the Red Sea, which in turn is linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal. The route is thousands of miles and many days shorter than traveling around Africa's Cape of Good Hope.
Rachid said it was unlikely the problem would spread north from the Gulf of Aden to the Red Sea.
Rachid is on a two-day visit to Greece.
