Pirates, extremists and militiamen pose threat to seafarers<\/p>\n
Agencies
\nKuala Lumpur<\/p>\n
Ruthless pirates in Indonesia, terrorist attackers in the Middle
\nEast and power-thirsty militia gangs on the Somali coast pose the
\nlatest threats to seafarers plying the world's increasingly
\nperilous waters, a maritime watchdog reported on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The number of attacks on ships rose to 271 in January-
\nSeptember 2002, compared to 253 in the first nine months of last
\nyear, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in its
\nquarterly piracy report.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, where pirates hide in isolated inlets along the
\nnation's sprawling coastlines, accounted for 72 attacks, or 27
\npercent of the global total, the bureau's Malaysian-based piracy
\nwatch center reported.<\/p>\n
The Maritime Bureau warned that a \"ruthless and determined
\ngang\" was preying on tugs towing barges laden with palm oil and
\nother lucrative cargo near Indonesia's island of Sumatra, a short
\nboat trip from Malaysia across the Malacca Straits.<\/p>\n
Bandits armed with knives and a gun stormed one tug on Sept. 6
\nand threw 18 crew members overboard, the report said. The sailors
\nwere later picked up by another passing boat.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, the bureau noted unconfirmed reports that the al-
\nQaeda terror network might attack tankers in the Gulf region,
\nwhere the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Maritime Liaison Office had
\nissued an advisory in September warning ships to \"exercise
\nextreme caution.\"<\/p>\n
The report was prepared before an Oct. 6 terror attack off
\nYemen's coast, where a French oil tanker was rammed by a small
\nexplosives-laden boat, killing one Bulgarian crew member.<\/p>\n
Maritime Bureau Director Capt. Pottengal Mukundan said the
\nincident \"raises the specter of maritime terrorism against these
\nextremely vulnerable vessels.\"<\/p>\n
\"The IMB recommends that governments and port authorities
\nconsider prescribed traffic lanes for these vessels where
\npracticable, patrolled by coast guard vessels and kept free of
\nall unauthorized craft,\" Mukundan said in a statement.<\/p>\n
The clearest risks at sea emanated from Somalia, where militia
\ngangs locked in a power struggle in the Horn of Africa nation
\nwere desperate to raise funds through the kidnap and ransom of
\nvessels, the bureau warned.<\/p>\n
\"The situation has become so critical that ... virtually every
\nvessel straying within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the northeast
\nSomali coast is likely to be attacked,\" the report stressed.<\/p>\n
The bureau urged ship owners to consider advanced safety
\ninitiatives such as a new deterrent system called \"Secure-Ship\" -
\na 9,000-volt, non-lethal, electrified fence that can be installed
\nsurrounding a ship to deter boarding attempts.<\/p>\n
\"To date, this system is the most effective answer in
\npreventing unauthorized boarding of ships in respect of vessels
\ncarrying nonflammable cargoes,\" the bureau said.<\/p>\n
In an effort to beat increasing piracy and terrorism on the
\nhigh seas the IMB has proposed two radical initiatives: electric
\nfences for ships and special protected channels for oil tankers.<\/p>\n
To avoid hijackings and pirate attacks, the IMB \"strongly
\nrecommends\" the use of an anti-boarding system involving a 9,000
\nvolt, non-lethal, electric fence surrounding the ship.<\/p>\n
Specially adapted for maritime use, the fence is collapsible
\nand can be deployed when ships enter dangerous waters. If it is
\ntampered with, an alarm is triggered, activating floodlights and
\na siren.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pirates-extremists-and-militiamen-pose-threat-to-seafarers-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}