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Big rise in incidents of sea piracy this year

Ignatius Pereira

Somali waters in the Gulf of Aden are the hotspot

Today’s pirates are using rocket launchers, AK-47s
Indian waters are almost free from pirate attacks

KOLLAM: Statistics provided by the Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) of the Kuala Lumpur-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) show that the number of sea piracy incidents this year has crossed 200. The Somali waters in the Gulf of Aden, from where the Indian Navy’s INS Tabar repelled an attempt to hijack an Indian merchant ship, remain the hotspot of such attacks. Other piracy hotspots are the waters off Nigeria and Indonesia.

‘Cold-blooded killers’

Details provided by the PRC show that today’s pirates are cold-blooded killers using rocket launchers, AK-47s, global positioning devices and night-vision goggles.

The PRC statistics released by the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) state that from July to September, 83 incidents were reported; 63 of these in the Gulf of Aden-Somalia region.

Compared to those hotspots, Indian waters are almost free from pirate attacks. The Indian Coast Guard headquarters, when contacted, said the last serious pirate attack took place in 1998. After that were thefts, mainly using fishing crafts.

The last such incident in India, according to the PRC, took place in Kochi anchorage on August 20 this year when four persons stole the ship’s stores.

Political unrest

Collapse of law and order in Somalia and political unrest are cited to be the prime causes for the escalation of piracy along the waters off these countries. During this year, 23 vessels were fired upon, 31 vessels hijacked, 581 crew members taken hostage, nine killed and seven missing.

In the Somalia area alone, 38 ships and 250 crew members are still in the hands of the pirates. This includes a Ukrainian ship with weaponry. In the waters off Nigeria, 24 pirate incidents were reported between July and September this year. But IMB studies show that a good number of piracy incidents in this area remain unreported.

The number of such incidents in Indonesia during the corresponding period is 23. Of these, 22 were thefts. However, the incidents around Indonesia show an annual decline.

The IMB had established the PRC to provide free round-the-clock service to be the first point of contact for the shipmaster in the event of a piracy attack or attempt. The main aim of the PRC is to create awareness on the high-risk shipping routes notorious for pirate attacks and armed robberies on anchored ships. The PRC works in close association with various governments and shares information on piracy.

‘Unprecedented’

According to IMB director Captain Pottengal Mukundan, piracy attacks off the Somali waters have become unprecedented. The pirates are attacking even tankers and large bulk carriers along this major international seaway between Asia and Europe.

The situation warrants increased protection and even naval intervention.

Meanwhile, according to an ICC release, following the escalation of attacks along the Somali waters and the Gulf of Aden, the European Union last month decided to initiate a close support protection system for ships passing through the area.

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