WHEN eleven European tourists and eight Egyptians abducted in a remote desert corner of Egypt were freed unharmed yesterday, the images were beamed across the news networks.

Even as Wall St was once again plunged into free-fall after Congress rejected the $700bn bail-out deal, the story of innocent civilians escaping a terrifying ordeal was shunted up the news schedules as an important story of international significance.

The news that Somali pirates are currently holding well over 200 seafarers hostage and the lifeblood of our apparently collapsing global economy is now under near daily attack by armed militants did not even manage to make the ‘and finally’ sections.

A case of ‘out of sight, out of mind’, according to the shipping industry associations that have laid out a desperate plea for international action.

They are right of course. If civil aircraft were being hijacked on a daily basis, the response of governments currently ignoring the surge in maritime attacks would be very different indeed.

Glib suggestions from over-stretched and hand-tied naval officials urging the industry to look after itself and hire mercenaries are dangerously off-message. To do so will only plunge the industry into more dangerous situations and risk even more lives. Arguing that owners’ apparent willingness to pay ransom demands is fuelling the crisis beg the obvious response — what else would you have us do?

That these same sentiments have been repeated day after day, week after week on these pages is a damning indictment of the respect and support that is being offered by governments to solve this dangerous situation.

We can only hope that our repetition will ultimately force action at the highest level.