Pirates, extremists and militiamen pose threat to seafarers

Pirates, extremists and militiamen pose threat to seafarers

Agencies
Kuala Lumpur

Ruthless pirates in Indonesia, terrorist attackers in the Middle
East and power-thirsty militia gangs on the Somali coast pose the
latest threats to seafarers plying the world's increasingly
perilous waters, a maritime watchdog reported on Thursday.

The number of attacks on ships rose to 271 in January-
September 2002, compared to 253 in the first nine months of last
year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in its
quarterly piracy report.

Indonesia, where pirates hide in isolated inlets along the
nation's sprawling coastlines, accounted for 72 attacks, or 27
percent of the global total, the bureau's Malaysian-based piracy
watch center reported.

The Maritime Bureau warned that a "ruthless and determined
gang" was preying on tugs towing barges laden with palm oil and
other lucrative cargo near Indonesia's island of Sumatra, a short
boat trip from Malaysia across the Malacca Straits.

Bandits armed with knives and a gun stormed one tug on Sept. 6
and threw 18 crew members overboard, the report said. The sailors
were later picked up by another passing boat.

Elsewhere, the bureau noted unconfirmed reports that the al-
Qaeda terror network might attack tankers in the Gulf region,
where the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Maritime Liaison Office had
issued an advisory in September warning ships to "exercise
extreme caution."

The report was prepared before an Oct. 6 terror attack off
Yemen's coast, where a French oil tanker was rammed by a small
explosives-laden boat, killing one Bulgarian crew member.

Maritime Bureau Director Capt. Pottengal Mukundan said the
incident "raises the specter of maritime terrorism against these
extremely vulnerable vessels."

"The IMB recommends that governments and port authorities
consider prescribed traffic lanes for these vessels where
practicable, patrolled by coast guard vessels and kept free of
all unauthorized craft," Mukundan said in a statement.

The clearest risks at sea emanated from Somalia, where militia
gangs locked in a power struggle in the Horn of Africa nation
were desperate to raise funds through the kidnap and ransom of
vessels, the bureau warned.

"The situation has become so critical that ... virtually every
vessel straying within 12 miles (20 kilometers) of the northeast
Somali coast is likely to be attacked," the report stressed.

The bureau urged ship owners to consider advanced safety
initiatives such as a new deterrent system called "Secure-Ship" -
a 9,000-volt, non-lethal, electrified fence that can be installed
surrounding a ship to deter boarding attempts.

"To date, this system is the most effective answer in
preventing unauthorized boarding of ships in respect of vessels
carrying nonflammable cargoes," the bureau said.

In an effort to beat increasing piracy and terrorism on the
high seas the IMB has proposed two radical initiatives: electric
fences for ships and special protected channels for oil tankers.

To avoid hijackings and pirate attacks, the IMB "strongly
recommends" the use of an anti-boarding system involving a 9,000
volt, non-lethal, electric fence surrounding the ship.

Specially adapted for maritime use, the fence is collapsible
and can be deployed when ships enter dangerous waters. If it is
tampered with, an alarm is triggered, activating floodlights and
a siren.