A chilling reminder

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By Marcus Hand

Friday 27 February 2009

THE recent kidnapping of the master and chief engineer of a Singapore-registered tug in the Malacca Strait sends a chilling reminder that piracy has not been eradicated in the world’s busiest sealane.

Joint naval and air patrols between Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have sharply reduced piracy in the Strait in recent years, but have not put the pirate gangs out of business completely. They have merely made it far more difficult for pirates to operate effectively.

The modus operandi of the recent attack was almost identical to scores of similar attacks in the earlier part of the decade. Pirates stormed the vessel, smashed or took communications equipment, and kidnapped senior crew members who most likely command the highest ransom.

As southeast Asian economies head into a sharp downturn following the rest of the world there are concerns that more people will turn to piracy as times get desperate. This is exactly what happened in the years that followed the Asian financial crisis, which in particular took a heavy toll on Indonesia’s economy.

At the same time financial and economic pressures on certain regional governments could lead to anti-piracy patrols taking a back seat to more pressing priorities on land. Thankfully, as yet this does not appear to be the case.

The piracy problem in the Malacca Strait has greatly improved over recent years, but that does not mean governments can afford to be complacent especially at time when piracy could prove an increasingly attractive option to some.