Post by ferryfast admin on May 10, 2005 19:23:01 GMT -5
STRAIT OF MALACCA -- This 600-mile-long passage between the Indian and Pacific oceans is infested with pirates who aren't the somehow lovable types popularized in the recent Johnny Depp film "Pirates of the Caribbean."
Indeed when one of the main global security organizations fighting piracy sent out a poster promoting vigilance last year, the pirates depicted were so scary that many captains declined to post it on their ships.
Pirates roam the seas wherever governments and law enforcement are weak. Above all, this occurs around Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands and suffered more than a quarter of the 325 reported pirate attacks in the world last year (many were not officially reported).
The southwestern shore of the Strait of Malacca is the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the site of the earthquake that set off the devastating tsunami in December. According to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, the Strait of Malacca is "the most dangerous passage" in the world.
It is also arguably the most important, for more than 50,000 ships transit it annually carrying up to a third of the world's sea trade and more than 80 percent of the oil delivered to Asia's booming economies.
The strait is particularly attractive to pirates because there are so many ships to choose from, and marauders can operate freely from inlets in Sumatra, where law enforcement is almost nonexistent.
Piracy in the strait stopped for two months after the tsunami, but began again in March with robbery, kidnapping for ransom and homicide all on the menu. The attacks in the strait have become so nasty that many consider them terrorist.
But there are no proven links between the pirates and international terrorism, and even the tough Islamic separatists in Sumatra deny links to the pirates or terrorism.
Still, the chances of a terrorist attack have increased since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Capt. P. Mukundan, director of the maritime bureau. Such an attack might range from hijacking a ship and turning it into a floating bomb to sinking a very large crude carrier, the huge tanker that transports oil, at the Strait of Malacca's narrowest point. This could hamstring world trade for weeks.
Although pirates focus on loot and terrorists on ideology, it is not always easy to tell them apart. The pirates can be as brutal as terrorists, and the latter have already executed maritime attacks in the Middle East, particularly around Yemen.
In March 2003, a chemical tanker in the strait was seized, and the attackers took turns navigating it before departing. Because nothing was taken, many fear this was a terrorist trial run.
There are several kinds of pirates. The little ones are maritime muggers who board a ship in port, at anchor or transiting the strait to steal whatever they can. But piracy sometimes involves major organized crime, a possible link to terrorism.
Sometimes a ship is taken permanently, given a total face-lift, including a new crew, and set back in motion as a phantom ship, usually carrying illicit cargo, including illegal immigrants.
Some of these ships have been recovered, but a Jane's Security News Brief reported in January that intelligence agencies believe al Qaeda and its affiliates have several dozen phantoms at their disposal.
The pirates' main daily targets are tugboats and barges, usually slow moving and low in the water. They can be boarded easily and attacked without attracting much attention. Hitting an oil tanker or a cruise ship would focus world attention and might lead to a much more serious anti-pirate campaign, while either of those might be an attractive terrorist target.
How can piracy be thwarted?
For starters, ships should avoid high-risk areas if possible, limit access while in port, give good security training to their crews and be vigilant. Today there are also more watches at night, when attacks are most likely to occur, and more lights on decks. Investigations need to penetrate the board rooms of organized crime syndicates that are sometimes involved.
Many pirates have been driven off when a ship conducted evasive maneuvers, the crew sprayed the pirates with high-pressure water hoses, and search- lights and flares were used. But as pirate armaments improve and violence increases, as they are, these tactics will be less successful.
Already some cargo ships hire armed guards, and several cruise lines employ Nepalese Gurkhas. High-tech resources are being developed.
Capt. Mukundan says the maritime bureau recommends Shiploc, a tracking system to locate a hijacked vessel by using a tiny transmitter concealed on the ship, and secure-ship, a non-lethal, electrified fence around the ship, adapted for maritime use.
Last year the United States offered to become more directly involved in strait security, no doubt more concerned about potential terrorists than actual pirates. When Malaysia and Indonesia shouted that this would violate their sovereignty and perhaps provoke a terrorist attack, Washington offered training, intelligence and technology.
Since the new round of pirate attacks began this year, Malaysia has said it will deploy police with assault weapons on tugs and barges in the most dangerous areas. But a few security guards on some vessels and scattered joint patrols will only scratch the problem.
In November, the United Nations General Assembly called for multilateral policing of the strait. In the end, serious, coordinated government action must be taken against pirates and potential terrorists to protect ships of all sizes, the lives of crew members and the trade that is critical to the economies of Asia and the world.
William Ratliff is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution who spends much time in East and Southeast Asia. E-mail us at insight@sfchronicle.com.
Page C - 3
URL: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/08/ING30CK71G1.DTL
Indeed when one of the main global security organizations fighting piracy sent out a poster promoting vigilance last year, the pirates depicted were so scary that many captains declined to post it on their ships.
Pirates roam the seas wherever governments and law enforcement are weak. Above all, this occurs around Indonesia, which has more than 17,000 islands and suffered more than a quarter of the 325 reported pirate attacks in the world last year (many were not officially reported).
The southwestern shore of the Strait of Malacca is the Indonesian island of Sumatra, the site of the earthquake that set off the devastating tsunami in December. According to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Centre, the Strait of Malacca is "the most dangerous passage" in the world.
It is also arguably the most important, for more than 50,000 ships transit it annually carrying up to a third of the world's sea trade and more than 80 percent of the oil delivered to Asia's booming economies.
The strait is particularly attractive to pirates because there are so many ships to choose from, and marauders can operate freely from inlets in Sumatra, where law enforcement is almost nonexistent.
Piracy in the strait stopped for two months after the tsunami, but began again in March with robbery, kidnapping for ransom and homicide all on the menu. The attacks in the strait have become so nasty that many consider them terrorist.
But there are no proven links between the pirates and international terrorism, and even the tough Islamic separatists in Sumatra deny links to the pirates or terrorism.
Still, the chances of a terrorist attack have increased since Sept. 11, 2001, according to Capt. P. Mukundan, director of the maritime bureau. Such an attack might range from hijacking a ship and turning it into a floating bomb to sinking a very large crude carrier, the huge tanker that transports oil, at the Strait of Malacca's narrowest point. This could hamstring world trade for weeks.
Although pirates focus on loot and terrorists on ideology, it is not always easy to tell them apart. The pirates can be as brutal as terrorists, and the latter have already executed maritime attacks in the Middle East, particularly around Yemen.
In March 2003, a chemical tanker in the strait was seized, and the attackers took turns navigating it before departing. Because nothing was taken, many fear this was a terrorist trial run.
There are several kinds of pirates. The little ones are maritime muggers who board a ship in port, at anchor or transiting the strait to steal whatever they can. But piracy sometimes involves major organized crime, a possible link to terrorism.
Sometimes a ship is taken permanently, given a total face-lift, including a new crew, and set back in motion as a phantom ship, usually carrying illicit cargo, including illegal immigrants.
Some of these ships have been recovered, but a Jane's Security News Brief reported in January that intelligence agencies believe al Qaeda and its affiliates have several dozen phantoms at their disposal.
The pirates' main daily targets are tugboats and barges, usually slow moving and low in the water. They can be boarded easily and attacked without attracting much attention. Hitting an oil tanker or a cruise ship would focus world attention and might lead to a much more serious anti-pirate campaign, while either of those might be an attractive terrorist target.
How can piracy be thwarted?
For starters, ships should avoid high-risk areas if possible, limit access while in port, give good security training to their crews and be vigilant. Today there are also more watches at night, when attacks are most likely to occur, and more lights on decks. Investigations need to penetrate the board rooms of organized crime syndicates that are sometimes involved.
Many pirates have been driven off when a ship conducted evasive maneuvers, the crew sprayed the pirates with high-pressure water hoses, and search- lights and flares were used. But as pirate armaments improve and violence increases, as they are, these tactics will be less successful.
Already some cargo ships hire armed guards, and several cruise lines employ Nepalese Gurkhas. High-tech resources are being developed.
Capt. Mukundan says the maritime bureau recommends Shiploc, a tracking system to locate a hijacked vessel by using a tiny transmitter concealed on the ship, and secure-ship, a non-lethal, electrified fence around the ship, adapted for maritime use.
Last year the United States offered to become more directly involved in strait security, no doubt more concerned about potential terrorists than actual pirates. When Malaysia and Indonesia shouted that this would violate their sovereignty and perhaps provoke a terrorist attack, Washington offered training, intelligence and technology.
Since the new round of pirate attacks began this year, Malaysia has said it will deploy police with assault weapons on tugs and barges in the most dangerous areas. But a few security guards on some vessels and scattered joint patrols will only scratch the problem.
In November, the United Nations General Assembly called for multilateral policing of the strait. In the end, serious, coordinated government action must be taken against pirates and potential terrorists to protect ships of all sizes, the lives of crew members and the trade that is critical to the economies of Asia and the world.
William Ratliff is a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution who spends much time in East and Southeast Asia. E-mail us at insight@sfchronicle.com.
Page C - 3
URL: sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2005/05/08/ING30CK71G1.DTL