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PIRACY IN THE MALACCA & SINGAPORE STRAITS

PIRACY IN THE MALACCA & SINGAPORE STRAITS. Catherine Zara Raymond (Maritime Security Programme, IDSS Singapore). Piracy or Armed Robbery?. United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that piracy is an act that takes place on the high seas , outside the jurisdiction of any state.

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PIRACY IN THE MALACCA & SINGAPORE STRAITS

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  1. PIRACY IN THE MALACCA & SINGAPORE STRAITS Catherine Zara Raymond (Maritime Security Programme, IDSS Singapore)

  2. Piracy or Armed Robbery? • United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea states that piracy is an act that takes place on the high seas, outside the jurisdiction of any state. • BUT most pirate attacks occur within the twelve mile limit of a states territorial waters and not on the high seas. • Therefore such incidences are not legally considered piracy; they are in fact armed robbery against ships.

  3. A Piracy Hotspot • Indonesia recorded the highest number of pirate attacks in the world in 2005. • The Malacca Straits ranked sixth in 2005, as opposed to second in 2004.

  4. Modus Operandi • Harbour or anchorage attacks: Most common in Indonesian ports & waters. More opportunistic, normally less violent. Value of stolen goods is low. • Sea-robbery: Pirates can board using grappling hooks, often while ship is underway. Approx. value of the stolen goods = US$10,000 to US$20,000. Ship is seized for between 30 minutes and 2 hours.

  5. Hijacking: • Long-term seizure or hijacking of vessel, perhaps for several days, while the cargo is unloaded at ports or transferred to another vessel. OR • Permanent seizure of a vessel, wherein the vessel is turned into a “phantom ship”. Ship repainted and crew dumped or killed. The ship then sails into a new port with a false name and forged documentation.

  6. Kidnap-for-ransom: • First carried out by pirate groups in 2001. • Involves armed takeover of the vessel, followed by the abduction of two or three senior crew members. • The result: release of the kidnapped crew members following the payment of a ransom by the crew’s employers. • Ransoms demanded = US$100,000 to US$200,000. • Following negotiations the amount paid is usually substantially lower e.g. US$10,000 - US$20,000.

  7. The Pirates • Small-scale criminals • Criminal syndicates • Terrorist groups

  8. Equipment

  9. Analysis of of Attacks • Relatively few attacks on larger vessels and none at all on “through traffic” unless ships stop for some reason • Most attack are on smaller vessels – fishing boats, tugs and product tankers

  10. Typical Vessels attacked • 640 GRT product tanker Cherry 201 attacked off Belawan in Feb 2004 – crew members kidnapped for ransom and 4 murdered • Small Japanese tug Idaten boarded by pirates in March 2005. 3 crew members taken hostage but later released

  11. The Response • Trilateral Coordinated Patrols • Eyes in the Sky • Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti-Piracy (ReCAAP)

  12. The Way Ahead A comprehensive and integrated approach must be adopted that: • Brings together institutional arrangements and operational measures for safety, security and marine environmental protection. • Reflects the interests of all stakeholders: user States, littoral States, and ship owners. • Builds on the 2005 Batam Joint Statement and Jakarta Statement

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