The Hindu Business Line : Wave of piracy hits Asia-Pacific waters

PIRATES are back with a bang on the high seas in Asia-Pacific, especially Indonesia, Malacca Straits, India and Bangladesh. Thanks to intense vigil by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and India, piracy attacks were reduced in Asia in the last few years.

However, in the last nine months, things have changed with a sudden surge in piracy attacks in the Asia Pacific region.

The total number of worldwide reported piracy attacks rose to 344 in the nine months of 2003 compared to 271 in the corresponding previous period, according to the latest piracy report released by ICC International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy attacks worldwide.

What would bother maritime community in Asia is that out of the total reported attacks, 87 were carried out in Indonesia, 37 in Bangladesh, 25 in Malacca Straits and 24 in India. The rest of the cases were reported in Nigeria, Gulf of Aden/Red Sea and Venezuela, the report says.

"It is the highest number of attacks for the first nine months of any year since the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre began compiling statistics in 1991," said Capt P. Mukundan, Director, IMB. The report identified 36 ports and anchorages, which are more prone to attacks. This includes Chennai, Chittagong, Dakar, Lagos and Manila, all of which continued to record higher number of attacks in these ports.

More than 50,000 vessels transit the 621-mile long Straits of Malacca every year. Linking the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the Straits of Malacca is the shortest sea route between three of the world's most populous countries — India, China, and Indonesia.

It is, therefore, considered to be the key choking point in Asia. Narrow channels, shallow reefs, thousands of tiny get-away islands, and slow traffic with some 900 commercial vessels passing through each day make the waters around Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia a pirate's dream, said a retired captain.

The latest piracy attacks comes at a time when the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code is to be enforced from July 2004. The ISPS Code may not be directly relevant to piracy attacks. However, with a lot of emphasis on enhanced security measures in ships and ports, the Code could possibly lead to reduced piracy attacks on ships next year, the source said.

In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 on the US, the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations Agency concerned with the safety of shipping and cleaner oceans, adopted a series of measures to strengthen maritime security and prevent and suppress acts of terrorism against shipping, including piracy attacks.

The IMO amended SOLAS, the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention, to make way for ISPS Code.

The Code's requirement forms a framework through which ships and port facilities can cooperate to detect and deter acts, which pose a threat to maritime security.

The ISPS Code

enables detection and deterrence of security threats within an international framework;

establishes roles and responsibilities;

enables collection and exchange of security information;

provides a methodology for assessing security;

ensures that adequate security measures are in place.

The Code requires ship and port facility staff to:

gather and assess information;

maintain communication protocols;

restrict access and prevent the introduction of unauthorised weapons;

provide the means to raise alarms;

put in place vessel and port security plans; and ensure training and drills are conducted.

"While the overall piracy attack numbers are high, there is improvement in some areas. Hijackings of vessels, particularly self-propelled merchant vessels, have reduced. Many of the vessels hijacked in the last nine months are tugs and barges, which are highly vulnerable targets. There is a clear increase in the use of guns and knives in the attacks. This increase in violence is of great concern.

Despite all the information now available on piratical attacks, there are hardly any cases where these attackers are arrested and brought to trial.

It is only when the pirates face a greater risk of getting punished that we will begin to see a reduction in these figures, Capt Mukundan said in the report.

Indonesia continues to record the highest number of attacks with 87 reported incidents. Piracy attacks in Bangladesh are ranked second highest with 37.

Attacks in Malacca Straits have increased to 24 in nine months of 2003 from 11 in 2002. Attacks in Nigeria also rose from nine in 2002 to 28 in 2003. By contrast, countries such as Ecuador, Guyana, Malaysia and Thailand have shown a marked improvement. Malaysia, in particular had no reported incidents in the past three months.

The number of crew killed increased to 20 compared to six in 2002. The figures showed an increased use of weapons during attacks.

The number of attacks using guns rose from 49 to 77 and knives from 99 to 115. Incidents of hijackings decreased to 15 as compared to 20 in the first nine months last year, the report said.

Highest attacks in Chennai

CHENNAI anchorage reported the highest number of piracy attacks in India in the first nine month of 2003. Out of the 24 piracy cases reported in India, Chennai accounted for ten during January-September of 2003 compared to six in the corresponding previous period.

There were six attacks in Kochi waters this year compared to none last year, the IMB report said. For instance, on June 16, at Chennai anchorage, three pirates boarded the Maltese flag bulk carrier, Maganda, and broke into forecastle locker and stole ship's equipment.

Two days later, while at anchor, three pirates boarded the Panama flag bulk carrier, Dignity T, and stole the ship's stores.

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