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Edition: U.S. Article Comments (0) Save Email Print Reprints Most Popular Most Shared Analysis: BP clean-up leaves U.S. vulnerable to another spill 5:28am EDT Iran says planes get fuel; EU bans some for safety 8:44am EDT WRAPUP 1-Iran says planes get fuel; EU bans some for safety 8:39am EDT France to look at possible U.S. sub link to sinking 02 Jul 2010 Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 10:20am EDT BP shares rise as company says no plan to issue stock 11:05am EDT Wall St futures point to rebound for U.S. equities 4:49am EDT BP approaches funds to fend off takeover bids: source 9:11am EDT UPDATE 1-FT says BP stops supplying fuel to Iranian aircraft 05 Jul 2010 Special Report: Should BP nuke its leaking well? 02 Jul 2010 Analysis: BP clean-up leaves U.S. vulnerable to another spill 5:28am EDT Germans shell-shocked by oracle octopus 10:22am EDT Viagra-popping seniors lead the pack for STDs 10:20am EDT BP approaches funds to fend off takeover bids: source 9:11am EDT Turkey wants Israel apology 05 Jul 2010 Special Report: Should BP nuke its leaking well? 02 Jul 2010 BP shares rise as company says no plan to issue stock 11:05am EDT Iran says planes get fuel; EU bans some for safety 8:44am EDT U.S. authorities seize websites over pirated movies 30 Jun 2010 WEALTH MANAGER-Navigating the mine field of the modern family 30 Jun 2010 Yemen faces Qaeda, pirate threats in vital strait Digg This Tweet This Share on LinkedIn Share on Facebook Factboxes FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in the UAE Thu, Jul 1 2010 FACTBOX-Key political risks to watch in Singapore Thu, Jul 1 2010 Related News Tests start on "super skimmer" for Gulf oil spill Sat, Jul 3 2010 Hurricane Alex spins past oil rigs toward Mexico Wed, Jun 30 2010 Yemen police, militants clash during raid in Aden Fri, Jun 25 2010 Related Topics World » By Raissa Kasolowsky ADEN | Tue Jul 6, 2010 9:46am EDT ADEN Yemen (Reuters) - On a rocky volcanic outcrop set in the deep and treacherous waters of a vital strait linking Europe to Asia, Yemen's coastguard is building a base to help secure one of the world's busiest waterways. Somali pirates trawl the sea south of the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's coast, and in recent months have stepped up attacks on tankers, cargo ships and fishing vessels in defiance of a major crackdown by navies from at least a dozen countries. But Yemen has deeper worries about security off its coast after a resurgent al Qaeda arm called for a blockade of the strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, through which 25,000 ships -- 7 percent of world shipping -- pass each year. "The geographical nature of Bab al-Mandab, of the coast and the land, its beaches and islands, makes it very sensitive security-wise," Mohamed Mubarak bin Aefan, head of Aden port management, told Reuters. Militants would struggle to block the strategic strait, experts say, but the shipping industry is still worried about possible attacks off Yemen's southwest coast. A Yemeni official said France was helping it build the base with the hope it would have a dual use in combating both piracy and al Qaeda. Yemen has seen its ports and waters targeted before. The U.S. government warned ships sailing off Yemen's coast in March of a risk of al Qaeda attacks similar to a suicide bombing of the U.S. warship Cole in 2000 that killed 17 U.S. sailors in Aden's port. Two years later, al Qaeda hit a French supertanker in the Gulf of Aden, south of Bab al-Mandab. Worries over the strait, through which around 3 million barrels of oil bound for Europe and the United States are shipped daily, were further stirred when Yemen boosted security on its coast against possible militant attacks. Yemen became a top Western security concern after a resurgent Yemeni al Qaeda arm claimed a failed bomb attack on a U.S.-bound plane in December, so alarming Washington that it has cranked up security assistance to the impoverished country. In another bold attack in June that Yemen blamed on al Qaeda, gunmen killed 11 people at the southern regional headquarters of a Yemeni intelligence agency in Aden, the deadliest attack in Yemen since the Cole bombing. But the group's call earlier this year for a blockade of Bab al-Mandab to cut off U.S. shipments to Israel does not mean al Qaeda is capable of such an operation, said Jim Cameron, senior analyst at Stirling Assynt. "It's certainly a real threat although I think it's probably more an aspiration rather than a capability at the moment." In addition, it would not be easy to completely close off the 22-km (14-mile) strait, experts say. "The strait is wide and the currents are strong and complex, so it would be difficult to actually block it in a physical sense," said Roy Facey, port adviser to the Port of Aden. "A Yemen coastguard base to support maritime interventions, and the ability of Yemeni forces to control any high land overlooking the strait gives me a lot of confidence that the threats we hear of would be very difficult to implement." BUSINESS WORRIES But calls to close Bab al-Mandab still impact sentiment in the region's shipping industry, reeling from pirate attacks, said Hisham al-Saqaf, general manager of shipping and marine services firm Gulf Agency Company (GAC) Yemen. "I don't know how they would do it but of course this is a threat and ship owners take these things seriously," he said. While Yemen's Western allies and neighboring oil exporter Saudi Arabia fear al Qaeda is exploiting instability on several fronts in Yemen for attacks in the region and beyond, piracy is the most burning concern for the shipping industry. Somali pirates are making millions of dollars in ransoms by seizing ships, including tankers and dry bulkers, in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. More than 15 ships and hundreds of sailors are being held off Somalia. So far, Somalia's al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab rebels have not been directly involved in piracy, which has flourished in the absence of a strong government and lawlessness in the Horn of Africa nation. Business in the region's ports has been badly hit and shipping lines are having to fork out millions of dollars in higher insurance rates, extra security costs and elevated crews' wages, all this despite the strong international naval presence. The United States estimates that every day some 30 to 40 warships are involved in counter-piracy efforts from the EU, NATO and the United States as well as China, Russia, India, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. Serious security threats to ships at the Bab al-Mandab waterway would have global implications for the industry and could prompt an even stronger international military intervention, industry experts say. The GAC's Saqaf, whose tanker business is 50 percent down compared to 2008, said the naval intervention had improved security, but more needed to be done. "At the end of the day I want a peaceful passage, a peaceful waterway for ships to sail and to come to our ports. We need the business," he said. The number of ships calling in Aden Port has fallen around 11 percent this year from 2008, bin Aefan said. Dubai-based port operator DP World, which runs a container port in Aden, says there was no major impact on container lines but that piracy was a business worry. "The business that we are in -- the transhipment trade -- is very, very competitive. Everyone wants a piece of it, from Aden to Muscat, Dubai and Jeddah, so any disadvantage we have against other ports is a concern to us," said Arthur Flynn, deputy general manager of the Aden Container Terminal. Aden Port's bin Aefan said the problem of piracy could only be resolved if stability returned to the pirates' countries of origin and that the international community should be more aware of the possible dangers facing Bab al-Mandab. "International and political efforts need to be aimed at the root causes and need to include an understanding of the dangerous situation this global waterway is in." (Editing by Michael Roddy) World Add a Comment *We welcome comments that advance the story directly or with relevant tangential information. We try to block comments that use offensive language or appear to be spam and review comments frequently to ensure they meet our standards. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. © Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters Editorial Editions: Africa Arabic Argentina Brazil Canada China France Germany India Italy Japan Latin America Mexico Russia Spain United Kingdom United States Reuters Contact Us Advertise With Us Help Journalism Handbook Archive Site Index Video Index Reader Feedback Analyst Research Mobile Newsletters RSS Podcasts Widgets Your View Labs Thomson Reuters Copyright Disclaimer Privacy Professional Products Professional Products Support Financial Products About Thomson Reuters Careers Online Products Acquisitions Monthly Buyouts Venture Capital Journal International Financing Review Project Finance International PEhub.com PE Week FindLaw Thomson Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, providing investing news, world news, business news, technology news, headline news, small business news, news alerts, personal finance, stock market, and mutual funds information available on Reuters.com, video, mobile, and interactive television platforms. 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