KL warns of terror threat to shipping

KL warns of terror threat to shipping

Agence France-Presse, Kuala Lumpur

A spate of attacks on chemical tankers by pirates armed with
automatic weapons in Indonesian waters has heightened concern
over their vulnerability to terror groups, a Malaysian security
official said on Sunday.

Three attacks on chemical tankers took place between Feb. 25
and March 26 this year and seafarers have registered a dramatic
increase in pirate attacks in the region since the U.S.-led war
against Iraq.

"We cannot rule out this possibility. Hijacked ships could be
used by terrorists," Muhammad Muda, marine police chief told AFP
when asked if hijacked ships could be used by terror groups to
launch their attacks on other maritime targets.

But Muda was quick to point out that police had not found any
indication that these recent attacks were the work of terror
groups. "For now, it only suggests that it is being done by
individuals for monetary gains."

But in January, an international watchdog said the seas around
Indonesia are the worst in the world for pirate attacks and
warned that maritime terrorism could also become a reality.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Center for the
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the Oct. 6 attack on the
French supertanker MT Limburg in the Middle East showed that
ships had become vulnerable to terrorism.

Noel Choong, IMB's regional manager, told AFP that the nature
of attacks on two ships in broad daylight recently had baffled
seafarers, adding that one chief engineer was shot in the head.
He survived the attack.

"In one of the attacks (on March 26), the pirates boarded the
tanker, took total control of the ship, including reducing the
ship's speed and remained onboard for more than an hour."

"These pirates were professionals. They knew the
communications systems. They destroyed them and steered the
ship," he added.

Asked if IMB was concerned that it could be the work of terror
groups, Choong said: "So far we have not received any reports
from any security agencies or our sources suggesting terrorists
are targeting ships. But we just cannot rule out any
possibilities."