PIRACY IN THE MALACCA & SINGAPORE STRAITS

Catherine Zara Raymond

(Maritime Security Programme,

IDSS Singapore)

Piracy or Armed Robbery?

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that piracy is an act that takes place on the high seas, outside the jurisdiction of any state.

• BUT most pirate attacks occur within the twelve

mile limit of a states territorial waters and not on the high seas.

• Therefore such incidences are not legally considered piracy; they are in fact armed robbery against ships.

• Indonesia recorded the highest number of pirate attacks in the world in 2005.

• The Malacca Straits ranked sixth in 2005,

as opposed to second in 2004.

Indonesia

Malacca Straits

Singapore Straits

Malaysia

South China

Bangladesh

India

Nigeria

Gulf of Aden/RedSea

Somalia

A Piracy Hotspot

Modus Operandi

• Harbour or anchorage attacks: Most common in Indonesian ports & waters. More opportunistic, normally less violent. Value of stolen goods is low.

• Sea-robbery: Pirates can board using grappling hooks, often while ship is underway. Approx. value of the stolen goods = US$10,000 to US$20,000. Ship is seized for between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

Hijacking:

• Long-term seizure or hijacking of vessel, perhaps for several days, while the cargo is unloaded at ports or transferred to another vessel.

OR• Permanent seizure of a vessel, wherein the

vessel is turned into a “phantom ship”. Ship repainted and crew dumped or killed. The ship then sails into a new port with a false name and forged documentation.

Kidnap-for-ransom:

• First carried out by pirate groups in 2001.

• Involves armed takeover of the vessel, followed by the abduction of two or three senior crew members.

• The result: release of the kidnapped crew members following the payment of a ransom by the crew’s employers.

• Ransoms demanded = US$100,000 to US$200,000.

• Following negotiations the amount paid is usually substantially lower e.g. US$10,000 - US$20,000.

The Pirates

• Small-scale criminals

• Criminal syndicates

• Terrorist groups

EquipmentWeapons Present in Attacks

(Only most lethal recorded in each case)

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

Year

Atta

cks

Knives

Guns

Rocket Launchers/Granades/ Machine Guns

Analysis of of Attacks

• Relatively few attacks on larger vessels and none at all on “through traffic” unless ships stop for some reason

• Most attack are on smaller vessels – fishing boats, tugs and product tankers

Total Actual Attacks by Vessel Type 2000-2005

05

101520253035

<1

00

00

>1

00

00

<2

00

00

>2

00

00

<2

00

00

>2

00

00

<5

00

0

>5

00

0

<5

00

0

>5

00

0

<5

00

0

>5

00

0

<2

00

00

>2

00

00

Container Bulk Carrrier GeneralTanker

GeneralCargo

ChemicalTanker

LPG ProductTanker

Vessel Type

Att

ac

ks

Typical Vessels attacked

• 640 GRT product tanker Cherry 201 attacked off Belawan in Feb 2004 – crew members kidnapped for ransom and 4 murdered

•Small Japanese tug Idaten boarded by pirates in March 2005. 3 crew members taken hostage but later released

The Response

• Trilateral Coordinated Patrols

• Eyes in the Sky

• Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti-Piracy (ReCAAP)

The Way Ahead

A comprehensive and integrated approach must be adopted that:

• Brings together institutional arrangements and operational measures for safety, security and marine environmental protection.

• Reflects the interests of all stakeholders: user States, littoral States, and ship owners.

• Builds on the 2005 Batam Joint Statement and Jakarta Statement