Worldwide piracy attacks surge to 10-year high, Indonesia worst
Worldwide piracy attacks surge to 10-year high, Indonesia worst
KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Pirate attacks on seafarers worldwide hit a ten-year high last year and Indonesia accounted for a quarter of the total, a maritime watchdog body said on Wednesday.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said 469 attacks or attempted attacks on ships at sea, at anchor or in port were reported globally -- compared to 300 in 1999 and only 107 in 1991.
"The violence used in the attacks also rose to new levels, with 72 seafarers killed and 99 injured in 2000, up from three killed and 24 injured the previous year," the IMB said in a report.
Some 26 crew members are still listed as missing.
The IMB's annual report on piracy was released by its Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur. The IMB noted an "alarming rise" in piracy and armed robbery in Indonesia, the Malacca Strait, Bangladesh, India, Ecuador and the Red Sea.
Indonesian waters were the most pirate-prone with 119 incidents, and the area where the worst violence was used. "Indonesia's political and economic situation is believed to be the main contributing factor to the alarming increase in attacks," the IMB said.
"So far there are no convincing signs that the number of attacks will drop in the near future unless Indonesia takes serious steps to try to address the piracy problems."
In one case six pirates boarded an Indian bulk carrier at Bontang anchorage in Indonesia on April 20.
They stabbed a seaman in the stomach while escaping when the emergency alarm was sounded. Later a group of 20 threw petrol bombs at the ship.
The Malacca Strait, between Indonesia and Malaysia, was the second most dangerous region with 75 incidents in 2000 compared to only two in 1999.
The strait is one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, used by 600 vessels a day.
The British-based IMB said Malaysian police had stepped up patrols and formed a special taskforce to tackle the problem, adding that two groups of pirates were recently captured.
"But there are still known to be several other groups attacking and robbing ships as they transit this busy waterway, where the threat of an ecological catastrophe cannot be ignored," it said.
The report added: "We hope that the Indonesian authorities will follow the positive steps taken by Malaysia to combat the growing threat in the strait."
The IMB said a Cyprus-flagged ship was attacked by six armed pirates on Aug. 29 while on its way from Port Klang to Singapore. One of them, armed with a machete, attacked the ship's master who sustained deep cuts to his hand.
The pirates stole US$23,000 and other valuables before escaping.
IMB said Bangladesh, the third most dangerous area, posted 55 attacks compared to 25 in 1999. But it said recently there had been a drop in the number, indicating that authorities had taken action.
In one incident a Bahamas-registered supply ship in Chittagong port was attacked on Aug. 9.
The second officer attempted to prevent some 12 armed pirates from boarding but was shot twice. The pirates stole the ship's stores and escaped in two boats.
Other substantial rises were recorded in India (35, up from 14 in 1999), Ecuador (13, up from two).
There were also 13 attempted boardings in the southern part of the Red Sea, where in 1999 there had been no attacks.
IMB said there was a drop in piracy attacks in the Singapore Straits due to security patrols by Singapore and Indonesian authorities.
There was no attack in the first nine months of 2000 but five in the last quarter. The IMB urged seafarers to mount an anti- piracy watch on deck -- the most effective way for them to prevent attacks.