ARAB LESSONS FOR SOUTHEAST ASIA

Pirates in the Malacca Straits are getting bolder, despite the recent launch of the tri-nation coordinated patrols.

GUN-TOTING sea pirates in the Malacca Strait have raised the stakes.

Not satisfied with just stealing cash and valuables from merchant ships, they are also kidnapping crew members for ransom.

At least 12 have been taken hostage in seven attacks since May.

This is the highest kidnapping rate since the London-based International Maritime Bureau was first notified in 2001 of hostages being taken in the straits. The bureau monitors piracy incidents worldwide.
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What is certain, however, is that the attacks are well-coordinated because, even if they took place on the high seas off remote shores, the pirates know whom to contact for their ransom demands.

In theory, the newly launched patrols should deter piracy - and eventually I imagine that they will. However, they would still be more effective with a broader range of participants - something Malaysia and Indonesia have not yet permitted.

On a related matter, I spoke with the head of the IMB today on a separate attack in another more dangerous region.

26.09.2004 at 0530 LT in position: 30:06N - 047:55E, Khor Al Zubair anchorage, Iraq.
Four robbers armed with automatic rifles boarded a chemical tanker. They stole ship's stores and fled.

The IMB noted that this is the first 'reported' incidence of piracy in Iraqi waters for several years. But, given the current level of terrorism in the country, it should be of immense concern.

As I mentioned before, there is evidence that Indonesia's Jemaah Islamia terror group has been considering using hijacked liquified natural gas (LNG) or petrochemical tankers as floating bombs. As Islamic terrorism is transnational, there is a strong possibility that 'militants' in Iraq would consider similar actions.

That said, the Persian Gulf has a heavy naval presence - consisting of US, coalition and Arab navies and coast guards. These forces actively patrol to prevent piracy and escort the larger tankers through possible trouble spots. The fact that only one act of piracy has been reported in the Northern Gulf is an indication that this type of broad coalition can work.

Indonesia and Malaysia should consider this example.

Most of East Asia's oil is shipped by sea from the Gulf and passes through the Malacca Straits. In the Gulf, the Arab states have realized long ago that the potential cost of a major attack on a tanker far outweighs the 'humiliation' of relying on foreign navies for support and protection.

I am loathe to suggest that Malaysia or Indonesia should adopt any of the Arab World's attributes, but in this case I think they could learn a lesson. The 'indignity' of accepting help from the US and other concerned countries would be far better than this:

The US Department of Energy has calculated that if the Malacca and Singapore straits were shut, nearly half the world's fleet would have to sail further, generating a substantial rise in the requirement for vessel capacity, largely because of China's rapidly growing export-import trade.

Closure of the Malacca and Singapore straits would also increase freight rates worldwide. It would jolt the economies of Northeast Asia that rely on imported energy for continued growth. If the closure lasted for long, it could also be disastrous for Singapore's trade-dependent economy.

And it would be much better than this:

The greatest risk from LNG, experts say, would be if the super-cold, compressed liquid were to gush out onto open water during a terrorist attack, spread, and then ignite.
"If even one of the five tanks onboard an LNG ship spilled onto the water, the fire it would produce would be up to a half-mile in diameter," says Jerry Havens, a chemical engineer and former director of the Chemical Hazards Research Center at the University of Arkansas. "The thermal radiation ... could burn people a half mile from the fire's edge,"

(I realize that I'm blogging a dead horse here, and pledge not to discuss Malacca piracy any further – at least not until the IMB release another weekly report. And next time I'll make it more interesting by writing in 'pirate talk'. AARR!)