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Piracy on the rise in Asia

It was 2:50am when the master of a Singapore-registered crude oil tanker woke to violent banging on his cabin door. On opening it, he was faced with six robbers armed with long knives, who had already tied up three of his crew.

The master of the Eagle Corona and his crew were unharmed, except for a small cut to the neck of one crewman, although they lost their cash and personal items.

But after the attack, anti-piracy efforts on the ship were stepped up, such as deployment of more fire hoses which are used to deter boarding attempts, while the ship continued on its voyage to Thailand.

The incident -- which took place off Indonesia's Pulau Karimata last Friday 15 October 2010 -- was just one of many pirate attacks plaguing shipping routes in Asia.

In the first nine months of the year, there were 118 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the region. Of these, 97 were successful, while 21 failed.

A report released on Monday 18 October 2010 by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) anti-piracy group said incidents in Asia had spiked by almost 60% compared to the corresponding period last year.

The ReCAAP is the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia. Piracy is classified as attacks on the high seas and robbery against ships as raids in state-controlled waters.

Pirates are also becoming more violent. Crew were taken hostage in about a quarter of the successful attacks. Half of the successful attacks involved knives and machetes and 18% involved guns.

The majority are happening in Indonesian waters and the South China Sea, where there is heavy shipping traffic.

ReCAAP ISC deputy director Lt-Col (R) Nicholas Teo, formerly of the Singapore Navy, said the increase in activity is possibly the result of pirates shifting from heavily patrolled areas to less patrolled ones, together with more ships reporting incidents.

Teo also said that reported incidents are sent out as general shipping warnings, which help remind other ships to remain vigilant when passing through potentially risky areas.

In another report released on Monday, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which tracks pirate incidents worldwide, said the South China Sea saw 30 piracy attempts from January to last month, up from 10 in the corresponding period last year.

IMB director Pottengal Mukundan said: "The pirates in this area use almost identical methods of attack, suggesting a small number of groups are responsible."

Like the South China Sea, Indonesian waters also had more attacks, with 26 recorded incidents, up from seven last year.

According to Noel Choong, head of the IMB piracy reporting centre based in Malaysia, these two locations are attractive to pirates.

Most ships travelling up to ports in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Japan have "no choice"but to cross them.

Choong said notifications about piracy had been sent to the Indonesian authorities. They then increased sea patrols, which lowered the number of attacks.

But he added: "The pirates are not captured. They are just lying low because of the increase in patrols."

Choong said the attacks may lead to injury or death, or even an environmental disaster such as an oil spill if ships collide. To minimise risks, ships are advised to always keep a vigilant watch as the pirates, who normally attack under the cover of darkness, tend to retreat the moment they are spotted.

The Straits Times
Singapore, Wednesday 20 October 2010