Death by pirates

Star Maritime 12 February 2007

Crewmen have been warned not to retaliate against pirates due to the 15 lost lives at sea last year. The high sea robbers have turned violent.
 
According to the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC) specialised division of International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, the number of fatal incidents at sea was alarming when compared to having none in the previous year.
 
Although worldwide piracy attacks have fallen for the third year in a row now, the number of killings has become worrying.
 
IMB Bureau piracy reporting centre head (Asia regional office) Noel Choong said violence had always been on the upward trend even though the number of attacks have declined.
 
“Besides having an anti-piracy watch at all hours of the day, when pirates come aboard, crew members should refrain from fighting back.
 
“Do not act heroic and try to fight as these sea bandits will not hesitate to use their guns and knives to get what they want,” he said.
 
Asked whether ships should carry guns, Choong expressed his disapproval with this suggestion.
 
“It will do more harm than good since sailors are not physically and mentally trained to use weapons in such situations and it will further aggravate the pirates.
 
“Currently, most commercial vessels are not equipped with weapons. Deterrent measures like increased patrols is a more viable mechanism to fight piracy,” he said.
 
Out of the 15 deaths involving sailors in 2006, the Philippines recorded the highest number of fatalities.
 
The worst incident happened on Jan 15, 2006 when five pirates with automatic rifles, dressed in military-like uniforms, boarded a fishing boat, FV Man Chun Yi, and shot dead the master of the vessel and put a bullet in a crewman’s leg.
 
“Other deaths include four in the South China Sea, three in Nigeria, one in Trinidad and Tobago, one in Somalia and another in Saudi Arabia,” he said.
 
Besides the loss of lives, according to the report, 77 crewmen were kidnapped and 188 taken hostage.
 
Another area of concern, Choong said, is the high number of attacks in anchorage areas, especially in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
 
“Out of the 113 cases recorded globally, 30 attacks happened in Bangladesh. We have taken measures to alert the government there on how serious this situation is,” he said, adding that in Bangladesh, the attacks have increased to 47.
 
Although it is currently ranked as number two in the world piracy hotspot for attacks, it occurred in a much smaller geographical area than Indonesia.
 
More has to be done to stop piracy against ships anchored at the mouth of the river off Chittagong. The coastal region in this area is very poor and anchored ships make for a very tempting target.
 
Attacks may be of a low level, with the pirates only seeking to steal anything they can lay their hands on to be resold, but they do come armed and dangerous.
 
The government of Bangladesh said it is taking action, but given that the attacks are occurring in a very small area, there must be more they can do.
 
Besides Bangladesh, the other areas of concern are Indonesia – still the world’s hottest piracy hotspot – followed by Nigeria, Somalia and Santos in Brazil.
 
Regarding the Straits of Malacca, IMB director, Capt Pottengal Mukundan, called for continued action that would preserve the improved piracy situation there.
 
“There is still plenty of room for improvement and opportunities for the shipping industry and governments to make a difference,” he said.
 
Nevertheless, worldwide piracy attacks fell for the third year in a row, where last year there were 239 attacks on ships, compared to 276 in 2005 and 329 in 2004.
 
Welcoming a third consecutive fall in attacks, the IMB paid tribute to the work of the Piracy Reporting Centre and reiterated the critical role it plays in identifying high risk areas, raising awareness of the issues and forcing governments to act on them.

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