Aceh tops piracy attacks: Report

Aceh tops piracy attacks: Report

Agencies, Kuala Lumpur

The on-going separatist violence in Indonesia's Aceh province is a leading contributor to piracy in Southeast Asia, an international watchdog has said.

The Piracy Reporting Center said worldwide actual or attempted piracy attacks from January to December 2001 was 335, down 29 percent from the all time high of 469 posted in the previous year. In 1998 it was 300.

Indonesia accounted for 91 incidents and another 17 occurred in the busy Malacca Straits separating Southeast Asia's biggest country from Malaysia, said the Kuala Lumpur-based center in an annual report.

"The shipping industry hopes that the Indonesian authorities will increase their efforts, without which the area will always remain high risk," it said.

"During the year, a new trend in piracy emerged in the northern part of the Malacca Straits in the waters off Aceh. Pirates attacked and kidnapped crew members demanding ransom for their safe returns."

The report said the Free Aceh Movement, which had threatened to disrupt shipping in the Malacca Straits was blamed for the kidnapping incidents by the Indonesian authorities.

The report also said that ships carrying huge payloads of highly flammable natural gas could be hijacked by terrorists and used in suicide attacks.

"After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., there is now a real fear that terrorists could use a ship as a weapon. Security should become a top priority for the maritime industry."

Oil tankers or ships carrying liquefied natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas could be hijacked by terrorists "to undergo suicide missions for their cause," the report said, adding: "Forged ship documents and crew travel documents can easily be obtained."

Piracy attacks in India are ranked second highest with 27 attacks and Bangladesh is third with 25 attacks.

"Both countries have seen a reduction in the number of attacks as compared to year 2000 due to increased patrols," it said.

The center, which is operated by the British-based International Maritime Bureau, said Malaysia and Nigeria recorded 19 attacks each.

Nigeria, Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Tanzania have shown a marked increase in attacks. "Piracy is on the increase in Africa."

Malacca Straits has seen a remarkable drop in the number of piracy attacks to 17 compared to 75 in 2000. "This is due to vigilant patrols particularly the Royal Malaysian Marine Police."

The center said the incidents of hijackings rose to 16 as compared to eight previously, mainly involving crime syndicates. While the number of crew killed in 2001 fell to 21 as compared to 72, incidents of crew being assaulted have risen along with the use of firearms.

"The number of attacks using guns rose from 51 to 73 and the number using knives fell from 132 to 105. Thus, increased violence to crew continues to be a worrying factor," it said.

Narrating some of the serious incidents, the center cited the attack and hijack of the Indonesian flag vessel MV Inabukwa last March by armed pirates.

The vessel was bound for Singapore with goods valued $2.2 million. The master and 22 crewmembers were forced to leave the ship and left on an unmanned Indonesian island.

Last August, a Honduras flagged TB Ocean Silver transporting a cargo of coal near the coast of Aceh was attacked and hijacked by armed pirates and forced the 12 crew members to sail the vessel to a port in east Aceh.

P. Mukundan, director of the Londan-based International Maritime Bureau pressed Interpol and regional police to prosecute captured pirates and hijackers and to track down the leaders.

"Captured pirates awaiting trial are usually foot-soldiers of larger and well organized syndicates. The real challenge is to go after those behind ship hijacking and crew violence incidents," he said.

Shipowners were also urged to fit the second generation of Shiploc device, which can be concealed on board and report a vessel's position up to 15 times a day.