Pirate attacks raise spectre of terrorism at sea

Straits Times ^

[DeaconBenjamin]

Anti-piracy experts warn terror groups may target ships with chemical cargo next in the Straits of Malacca

KUALA LUMPUR - A spate of attacks by pirates armed with automatic weapons has heightened concern about the possibility of terrorists hijacking chemical tankers sailing in Indonesian waters.

There have been three attacks in the past month and seafarers have registered a dramatic increase in piracy in the region since the start of the US-led war against Iraq.

'We cannot rule out this possibility. Hijacked ships could be used by terrorists,' Malaysian marine police chief Muhammad Muda said yesterday.

But he was quick to point out that police had not found any indication that the most recent attacks had been carried out by terrorists.

'For now, it only suggests that it is being done by individuals for monetary gain,' he said.

But in January, an international watchdog warned that the seas around Indonesia were the worst in the world for piracy and that maritime terrorism might well become a reality.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre for the International Maritime Bureau said last October's attack on French supertanker MT Limburg in the Middle East showed ships had become vulnerable to terrorism.

The bureau's regional manager, Mr Noel Choong, said the nature of recent attacks on two ships in broad daylight had baffled seafarers.

'In one of the attacks last week, the pirates boarded the tanker, took total control of the ship, including reducing its 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 said.

Asked whether the bureau was concerned that it could have been the work of terrorists, Mr Choong said: 'We just cannot rule out any possibilities.'

In last Wednesday's attack, the Indonesian-registered Dewi Mandrin was stormed by 10 pirates and held for an hour in the Straits of Malacca.

In another attack in late February, pirates shot the chief engineer of the Malaysia-registered Suhaila in the head but he survived.

The attacks follow the hijacking of eight tugboats and barges late last year.

[DeaconBenjamin]

Sounds credible to me. Any efforts to patrol the Straits of Malacca with serious assets?

[jdege]

Any possibility of recognizing the importance of arming the merchant ships?

The current strategy involves small fast boats with small arms. A couple of .50 cals would tend to discourage that.

[Brian Mosely]

Interesing to see this. Cryptome ran a reprint of a government document entitled WORLDWIDE THREAT TO SHIPPING which detailed quite a number of incidents...along with Greenpeace tantrums. Before I read it, I didn't know that piracy was this widespread.

[Willie Green]

Any efforts to patrol the Straits of Malacca with serious assets?

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Click on either link for additional information.

[Lucy Lake]

A book entitled "Dangerous Waters:Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas" by John S. Burnett explores the issue in depth.

[prairiebreeze]

For some reason this story reminded me of the 3 vessels that had been tracked sailing round and round without proper ID or something. Concern they were terrorist operated. Haven't heard any follow up on that for a long time

Prairie

[DeaconBenjamin]

Now, brethren, if I come unto you speaking with tongues, what shall I profit you, except I shall speak to you either by revelation, or by knowledge, or by prophesying, or by doctrine. And even things without life giving sound, whether pipe or harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what is piped or harped? For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? So likewise ye, except ye utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the air.
I Corinthians 14: 6-9

[x1stcav]

I am about to add that, this has been an issue with the blue water cruising communirty for at least 5 years. I am of the opinion that this is simple piracy.

[x1stcav]

We may return to an era of the armed merchantman.

[mathurine]

The straights of Malacca are the choke point for oil shipments from the middle east to Japan. The straights are not of stategic importance to America on any usual basis, but they are critical to the Japanese, who do have the potential to patrol them if need be. Islamic terrorists might consider that they have, we might say, aggravated the United States, seem unpopular now with the Indians, gross out the Russians, infuriate the Chinese, blew up a lot of Australians and now could get the Japanese in on things. How many virgins do they have to spare?

[Travis McGee]

Thanks for the ping. It's still fairly easy for terrorists/pirates to take a ship underway. It's no longer a simple matter for them to control it for a long period of time and get it to a port to use it as a weapon. Private and governmental groups are now ready to recapture or stop hijacked ships at sea.

It's still possible, just less likely, that a ship will be used successfully as a WMD. IMHO.

[Rasputin_TheMadMonk]

Here is a scenario for all you nautical worrywarts. It's just something that I've been thinking about for a while now.

A middle eastern country or North Korea modifies an oil tanker with surface to surface missile launchers stored on deployment rails that are hidden under the deck.

Said ship shadows the route of oil tankers heading to ports on the United States coast. A fast attack boat or three is lowered over the side and a tanker that resembles the trojan porpoise is seized without sending out a distress call. Or any distress call is jammed by equipment carried by the trojan.

The ship is then replaced by the trojan as the assault team starts meandering in place of the trojan. The trojan assumes all electronic emissions of the legitimate ship as it sails for the U.S.

Once close enough for a strike, the launchers are raised and two dozen missiles rain down on say Washington, New York, San Francisco (O.k., that wouldn't be all bad), or the city of your choice. The warhead payload could be anything from HE to biochem to chicken fat.

Just because one doesn't have ICBM capability doesn't mean they couldn't pull off a first strike. All it would take is determination and cash. Even a small, relatively harmless looking ship like a yacht could be equipped with a couple of launchers below decks. Look at the PT boat of WW2 as a potential design.

It will take more than closing the borders (although I'm all for that) to secure the U.S. Piracy isn't just a threat to shipping.