Somali pirates' expansion spooks shippers

By Andrew Cawthorne

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) - Karim Kudrati manages four ships plying arguably the most dangerous route in the world: Kenya to Somalia.

All four have been hijacked in the last few years, traumatizing his crews and forcing him to negotiate ransoms.

Yet the managing director of Motaku Shipping Agencies keeps sending vessels stuffed with goods to the lawless Horn of Africa nation. Why?

"It is not safe, but what to do? We have to keep our propellers turning or we will not survive," said the 62-year-old Kenyan at his office in humid Mombasa port.

Like colleagues in the shipping business -- and more so given his own bitter experience -- Kudrati is shocked by the seizure of a Saudi supertanker way outside Somali waters, 450 nautical miles southeast of Mombasa.

All shippers off east Africa are wondering "what next?"

"We are very worried that they have come south into Kenyan waters. People have been diverting ships from the Gulf of Aden to the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the pirates, but they are simply moving their operations further south," he said.

"There is a boat right now in Mombasa port that has just escaped another attack in Kenyan waters."

The majority of the scores of pirate attacks this year had been in the Gulf of Aden off Somalia's north coast, where ships come and go from the Suez Canal.

So with insurance premiums rising and heavy ransoms being paid, some firms have chosen to go round the south of Africa instead, even despite extra naval patrols off Somalia.

"Everybody is anxious now, even the (Kenyan) government is wondering about the cruise vessels that come into Mombasa port," said Kudrati, in the business since leaving school.

GUARDS ON BOARD?

His hope is that the increasingly rich and sophisticated pirates are now after bigger fish than his boats, which carry medicines, foodstuffs and other commodities to Somalia.

"They are targeting larger vessels these days to get more money for ransom. I don't think they are so interested in us."

The capture of the Saudi supertanker, the Sirius Star, with $100 million of oil on board, perhaps bears that theory out.