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Piracy held off in Gulf of Aden but returns to South China Sea
3 July 2009
The naval operation to deter piracy in the Gulf of Aden appears to have had some successes, despite continuing attacks on shipping in those waters and even further afield. The European Commission has said that Operation Atalanta – which is part of the international naval force in the area – has more than halved the risk of hijacking off Somalia. The presence of the naval force has reduced the proportion of successful attacks on shipping from one in three attempted attacks to one in eight.
However, the naval presence has not ended the problem, as Somali pirates are now sailing into the Red Sea and out into the Indian Ocean to attack unprotected shipping. The large ransoms paid to the kidnappers for the release of ships and crew remain lucrative.
The problem of piracy continues to plague other waters, and appears to have grown as the worldwide recession takes effect. There are warnings that piracy is returning to the once notorious hot spot of the South China Sea, where successful action by governments in the region had reduced the high level of maritime crime.
The International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre has reported three recent attacks on ships off Mangkai Island in the South China Sea. It warns seafarers in the area to be vigilant. Unlike piracy off Somalia, where seafarers risk capture for ransom, pirates in this area seek to rob crew and ships of money and valuables, and are more likely to be carrying knives than guns.
The three attacks, between 25 and 27 June, took place on a Vietnamese-flagged cargo ship, a Malta-flagged cargo ship and a Singapore-registered liquefied petroleum gas carrier.
All attacks and suspicious sightings should be reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, Tel: +603 2031 0014 (24 hours), Email: imbkl@icc-ccs.org.
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