Senior British commanders and other sources in the Ministry of Defence are warning that the Government is underestimating the threat posed to the UK by Somali pirates.

A recent increase in attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean have sparked fears that the UK’s gas and oil supplies could be disrupted, causing a rise in prices over the winter.

The Royal Navy and its supporters are also lobbying for the new Nimrod MRA4 marine reconnaissance aircraft to be brought back to life.

The £3.5bn project was scrapped as part of the Strategic Security and Defence Review last month, soon after it began its first air trials.

A third of the UK’s imports come through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden along with 15% of the UK’s natural gas imports.

Senior officers and other experts have warned that if pirates intercepted two liquid natural gas transporters, the effect would be felt very rapidly in the UK where there is no storage capacity.

A senior MoD source said: “This is a question we should ask ministers – do they want to see a fuel price rise over Christmas because of Somali piracy?”

The scenario is not as far-fetched as it would seem.

Last month pirates captured the Singaporean-registered MV York, a gas carrier heading for Seychelles.

The island nation came close to a total power outage as a result of the interruption of supplies.

MoD sources have told Sky News that Nimrod would hugely boost the international naval efforts to stop piracy in the Indian ocean because it would be able to cover a huge area with its advanced radar and other equipment designed to track shipping.

At the moment the coalition forces in the area rely on two patrol aircraft from Luxembourg.

MoD sources also say they are frustrated that the piracy issue is seen as “no more than an irritation” by the Government rather than a risk to the British economy.

The argument inside the MoD comes after allegations this week that the Armed Forces are unhappy with the results of the Spending Review.

This week the chief of the general staff, General Sir David Richards, said that scrapping Nimrod was “a risk but not a gamble”.

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Source:-News.sky.

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