Maersk steps up safety measures against pirates

COPENHAGEN, April 29 (Reuters) - Danish shipping and oil company A.P. Moller-Maersk (MAERSKb.CO), victim of one of this year's most notorious pirate raids, said on Wednesday it was stepping up security precautions off the coast of Somalia.

Attacks in the region have increased despite the presence of foreign warships. This month, pirates attacked Maersk Alabama, a ship owned by A.P. Moller-Maersk's U.S. subsidiary Maersk Line.

Its crew forced the hijackers to flee with the ship's captain in a lifeboat. After a standoff with the U.S. Navy, the captain was rescued and three pirates were shot dead by snipers.

"We have expanded the area off the coast of Somalia where only vessels with a certain freeboard or capable of sailing certain speeds are allowed to enter," A.P. Moller-Maersk said in a statement.

"Vessels should spend as little time in the area as possible, and while in the area sail at maximum speed."

The world's biggest container shipper stood by its policy of not arming crews or allowing armed guards on its vessels, saying weapons onboard could increase danger and raise legal issues.

A.P. Moller-Maersk also reiterated a call on the international community, and not only the shipping industry, to find a solution to the problem of piracy.

Soren Skou, head of the group's tankers division, said the group was in favour of establishing a regional maritime sea patrol to protect vessels in the area from piracy attacks.

"The nations in the region with the support of the international community must address this problem," Skou said.

"We also call on the international community to establish a transit corridor, so vessels can safely call at ports in Kenya and Tanzania."

(Reporting by Anna Ringstrom; Editing by Giles Elgood)