[pelaut] All vessels in S-E Asia need location devices

[Budiman]

PSi-Daily maritime press cuttings Page 22 2/10/2005 All vessels in S-E Asia need location devices PIRACY is still the issue that will not go away. More seafarers were murdered last year than in 2003 even though fewer attacks were reported. There were 325 reported attacks against ships in 2004, compared to 445 in the previous year. But 30 seafarers were killed, compared to 21 in 2003. The number of deaths could well be an underestimate. There is at least one entire tug crew of nine men missing, quite possibly murdered. The ICC International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) director Pottengal Mukundan says: 'There was an increase in the attacks in the Malacca Strait. Violence in the attacks in Nigeria has increased. Attacks in Lagos accounted for the highest number reported in a single port. Balikpapan, a major oil port in Indonesia, had the third highest number of attacks reported. Overall, vulnerable vessels such as tankers accounted for over a quarter of all attacks'. Every year at about this time the annual report makes for depressing reading. This year, though, the report has to be read in the light of the Indian Ocean tsunami, which appears to have brought attacks on shipping in the northern Malacca Strait to a complete halt. Exactly why the devastating tsunami has had this effect puzzles Capt Mukundan who had feared a resurgence of vessel hijackings. He declined to speculate on why the attacks have not resumed but it could well be that some pirates were among the tsunami's casualties. It would be dangerously complacent, however, to assume that attacks, and especially tug and barge hijackings and crew hijackings, will not resume in this area soon. So, once again, we need to learn from the IMB's report. There are two main strands. One is the problem of hijackings and crew abductions, principally in this region, and the other is the increasing violence of attacks on the African coast and most especially in Nigerian waters. PSi-Daily maritime press cuttings Page 23 2/10/2005 Most dangerous area Reported attacks in Nigeria decreased from 39 in 2003 to 28 in 2004. However, Nigeria still has the third highest number of incidents and is regarded as the most dangerous area in Africa for piracy and armed robbery. Fifteen seafarers were killed, a further two are missing and 11 were injured in these attacks. There seems to be a refusal by the relevant authorities to accept that there is a serious problem. This is a phenomenon not entirely unfamiliar to those trying to counter piracy in Asia though it is less of a problem than it used to be. In the case of attacks in Nigerian waters it is up to the international community to put pressure on the authorities there and to get across the message that attacks on merchant vessels cannot be tolerated. In South-East Asia however, while combating piracy is ultimately the responsibility of governments, there is something owners can do to thwart pirates. Over the past couple of years the value of ship location devices has been proven in a number of cases. For obvious reasons the IMB does not want to publicise particular cases where locators have been successful in retrieving hijacked vessels. However, it is convinced that if all commercial vessels, particularly smaller ones such as tugs, had locators the criminal gangs that are behind most of the hijackings would be deterred. Tug owners based in Singapore are starting to use locators in significant numbers but Capt Mukundan would like to see the insurance industry get involved in this issue. He says: 'We would like to see underwriters apply pressure, through the level of premiums, to encourage best practice which in this case means fitting tracking devices.' It would be nice to think that the current lull in serious attacks in this region is going to last. It would be prudent, though, to assume that it will not and to use the breathing space to put locating devices on all small commercial vessels operating in areas at risk of pirate attacks. Just importantly, though, it is to be hoped the relevant law enforcement and naval authorities do their best to bolster patrols and nip any resurgent piracy problem in the bud. JALESVEVA YAYAMAHE Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ADVERTISEMENT Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pelaut/   To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]   Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.