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Malacca Straits pirate attack foiled
Thursday, July 13, 2006 -
The Malacca Straits are the gate way for the world's cruising fleet as it heads from Indonesia and Singapore up to Thailand. Most of the Darwin to Kupang rally fleet will sail north through the Straits later in the season.
An attempted pirate attack on a Japanese cargo vessel off Indonesia on Tuesday has alarmed shipping companies plying the Malacca Strait, as well as the cruising community.
About half of the world's traded oil passes through the 550-mile channel, which links the Indian Ocean to the Pacific and is only 1.5 miles wide at its narrowest point. In recent years, hundreds of merchant ships have come under attack from pirates armed with automatic weapons, who use fast boats to track their target.
On Sunday night, two UN-chartered ships carrying aid to Indonesia's tsunami-struck Aceh province were boarded in the same area by pirates, who stole money and equipment but left the crew unharmed.
The crew aboard the Japanese vessel were able to repel their attackers, who struck on Tuesday from an unlit blue-hulled speedboat at the rear of the ship.
The pirates tried to board the ship but were deterred by floodlights and water sprayed from a fire hose, according to the International Maritime Bureau, which monitors pirate attacks worldwide. 'We are extremely concerned by these three latest attacks in the same area ... we urge ships to keep a strict piracy watch,' said Noel Choong, who runs the IMB's regional office in Malaysia.
The Malacca Strait, bordered by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, saw a sharp decline in maritime attacks last year, as coordinated naval patrols by the three countries deterred the pirates. A peace agreement in Aceh, where rebels were suspected of abetting maritime heists, also led to improved security.
But since April there have been five incidents, including the thwarted attack on the Japanese ship.
Analysts say today's east Asian swashbucklers typically focus on quick cash returns rather than cargo heists, unless the commodity is easy to repackage and sell.
On rare occasions, pirates will ditch the crew and sail the vessel to another port to sell to a broker. Others instead try to kidnap crew members and extort money from shipping companies for their safe return. It is a practice that has been increasing in recent years, though many ship owners prefer to pay and keep quiet.
Maritime officials urge ships' captains to maintain anti-piracy watches around the clock and use bright lights at night to deter attackers.
Some counter-terrorism experts have warned that extremists could use an oil tanker in the Malacca Strait as a floating bomb in a busy port such as Singapore.
by Simon Montlake/Sail-World
http://www.sail-world.com/indexs.cfm?nid=25555
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