Piracy and armed robbery in the malacca strait us naval war. He said gelasa is used by ships coming from the southern route heading toward the malacca strait or toward singapore or the south china sea. We dont stand a chance against the pirates, an indonesian naval officer conceded at the time. High traffic, high risk in the strait of malacca the. But it is very firm in its position that all three of the countries are fully responsible for security in the strait. It runs between the indonesian island of sumatra to the west and peninsular west malaysia and extreme southern thailand to the east and has an area of about 25,000 square miles 65,000 square km. Pirates are back from somalia to the south china sea. Assessing contemporary maritime piracy in southeast asia. Transnational security threats in the straits of malacca because it links the indian ocean with the economies of east asia, the strait of malacca remains a major artery of international trade. The importance of the strait of malacca in global trade networks continued well into later centuries with the rise of the malacca sultanate in the 15th century, the johor sultanate, and the rise of the modern citystate of singapore. Piracy increases in straits of malacca and singapore. A nation must have a plan to expend limited resources in pursuit of a clear and achievable objective. Mccain, collided sunday with an oil tanker, has historically been one of the worlds busiest.
Nonetheless, in 2004, the region accounted for 40% of piracy worldwide. The straits of malacca consist of a narrow but lengthy waterway that extends more than 500 miles from the eastern limits of the andaman sea to the south china sea in southeast asia. Ramadan pirates might be highly motivated because they needed extra cash to bring home for celebration. See pirate attacks in malacca strait at sixyear low, the straits times, 9 november 2005, p. As the main shipping channel between the indian ocean and the pacific ocean, it is one of the most important shipping lanes in the world, it is named after the malacca sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1400 and 1511, the center of. According to the latest reports, the pirates who can be violent. Pirates attack ship in malaysian strait march 15, 2005 asian news. Imb reported only 10 attacks by pirates in the straits of malacca in the third quarter of 2005, a sharp drop from 25 in the same period in 2004. Piracy, terrorism and the balance of power in the malacca strait. The strait of malacca, a key oil trade chokepoint, links. A malay prince, ruler of samudra on the coast of sumatra, had converted to islam in the late th century. The international maritime bureau imb reports worldwide pirate attacks fell for the third year in a row in 2006. The data that provided in table 1 there is indicated of increasing numbers in 2004 which is 60 numbers of piracies in the straits of malacca after there is any declining in 2002 which is 34 numbers of piracy and 36. The armed men kidnapped a ships captain and two engineers.
This process was just beginning as ibn battuta came through. Bbc news asiapacific pirate attacks in malacca strait. Indonesia, malaysia and singapore formed highlypublicised joint patrols in the malacca straits, sharing radio frequencies and approving the pursuit of. The strait of malacca or straits of malacca is a narrow, 550 mi stretch of water between the malay peninsula and the indonesian island of sumatra. The malacca straits tend to be a favorite ground for pirates, said. That would explain the strait of malacca, a natural paradise for seafaring bandits. How the strait of malacca purged its pirate problem time. By 2005, the imo estimated that pirate attacks in the malacca strait accounted for 40% of overall global incidents.
This is particularly the case in the northern part of the malacca strait where malaysia has claimed a large area of territorial sea and internal waters that appears contrary to international law. This was the second attack in the malacca strait following the december 26 tsunami, which some experts thought might have hurt the pirates. The earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century bc. The region overtook somalia as the main piracy hub in 2014. I didnt intend to sail through the malacca straits. Department of criminology, university of pennsylvania august 20 to may 2014. This was the sixth act of piracy within three months in the malacca strait. Focusing on what was seen in the nineteenth century as the three most pirateinfested areas in the region the sulu sea, the strait of malacca and indochina this comparative study in colonial history explores how piracy was defined, contested and used to resist or justify. Like everyone else, i knew the malacca straits were dangerous because of the pirates. Choong said pirates have moved to gelasa strait, a key waterway off sumatra island, where they struck seven times in the past two months. For some, piracy is the worlds longest running armed con. This low level of piracy has continued into 2008, with. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.
The strait of malacca became an important maritime trade route between india and china. Storm dodging in the malacca strait ep 79 duration. The malacca strait, which runs between malaysia and singapore and the indonesian island of sumatra, has been a favourite haunt of pirates for over a thousand years. Three states bordering the waterway malaysia, indonesia and singapore have launched aggressive joint measures to try to cut piracy, including air and naval patrols. Southeast asia, the bay of bengal, the strait of malacca, the coast off nigeria, and the horn of africa have become major piracy hot spots since the 1990s. Threat convergence transnational security threats in the. Of this number, 21 were cases of suspected piracy, 22 were attempted piracies. Singapore controls the smallest area of the strait, but the citystate enjoys the biggest economic benefit from shipping activities. While both of these indispensable maritime routes have. Recent reports show that from january until june this year, 56 cases of piracy had taken place in the malacca strait. Pirates attack ship in malacca strait this is the second attack by pirates in the area since the tsunami. Imagine an aquatic highway flowing between two marshy coasts.
The strait is 500 miles 800 km long and is funnelshaped, with a width of only 40. Somalia against the strait of malacca in the south. Maritime jurisdiction in the malacca and singapore straits is a complex and sensitive issue. From the source said that the pirates in the strait of malacca are mostly come from the northern and east parts of aceh region. Pdf the pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 2000. The west indian ocean, which includes somalia, accounted for just 28%, and the west african coast only. It had been siphoned off by the pirates into a smaller cargo ship. The malacca strait has typically been one of the most pirateinfested sea lanes in the world and it is also one of the busiest. Next to the sulu sea the most pirateinfested region in southeast asia according to nineteenthcentury colonial observers was the strait of malacca. However, syphoning oil cargo from product tankers similar to incidents in the gulf of guinea has been reported in the malacca strait. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates, while dedicated ships that are used by them are called pirate ships. The problem persists to the current day, with 40% of the worlds pirate attacks taking place in this region in recent years.
Security in the straits of malacca the asiapacific. That same trend echoed in the strait of malacca where attacks dropped from 79 in 2005 to 50 in 2006. As piracy becomes more prevalent, collaboration across the asean region is more necessary than ever. Straddling the sea route between the indonesian island of sumatra, the thaimalay peninsula, and the small citystate of singapore, the straits of malacca are. Among the most common locations for attacks is the strait of malacca, where tankers carry oil from the gulf region to china, japan, and south korea, and via singapores refineries. Southeast asia was the location of 41% of the worlds pirate attacks between 1995 and 20. The economics of piracy in south east asia global initiative. Given the united states limited assets, is the current strategic plan to combat piracy effective. Piracy has long plagued the 885kmlong waterway between sumatra island and. The malacca and singapore straits are among the most important waterways in the world. Piracy in the horn of africa, west africa and the strait. Some of his nonmuslim subjects may well have been the pirates that plagued the merchant ships in the strait of malacca. Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boatborne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable items or properties.
The waters of southeast asia have more incidents of piracy than any other part of the world. Pdf piracy, terrorism and the balance of power in the. The suppression of piracy and other forms of maritime violence was a keystone in the colonisation of southeast asia. The malacca strait is a narrow waterway that extends nearly six hundred nautical miles from the andaman sea to the south china sea, between malaysia and indonesia.
The strait provides a vital shipping lane for vessels sailing from europe and the middle east to east asia, as well as smaller vessels on local voyages. Indonesia is often cited as the main source of pirates operating in the malacca strait. Almost half of the worlds pirate attacks happen in southeast asia. The world economic forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Safety and security in the malacca and singapore straits. Pdf the pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 2000 2011. The gigantic wave could also have wiped out a band of pirates who prey on ships travelling through the malacca strait, according to a malaysian agency that tracks attacks on global shipping.
The strait of malacca is also an important transit route for liquefied natural gas lng from persian gulf and african suppliers, particularly qatar, to east asian countries. Over 60,000 vessels use the straits annually, including large tankers and cargo carriers pro ceeding from europe and the middle east to east asia, as well as smaller vessels on local voy. According to the international maritime bureau of the international chamber of commerce, the strait of malacca suffered 38 actual or attempted pirate attacks in 2004, the second highest total in the world after indonesia. The piracy reporting center, a kuala lumpurbased arm of the international maritime bureau says there were 37 attacks on shipping in the strait last year, with 30 people killed and another 30 still missing. Others migrate to special economic zones in batam and riau islands, hoping to get jobs, but end up in pelabuhan tikus rat harbours, and struggle to make ends meet.
According to a maritime regulator, pirates have attacked two uncontracted ships in the malacca strait. The pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 20002011. Attacks on ships at sea in 2006 fell to 239 vessels, down from 276 in 2005. Pirates and terrorists are at the top of my list of things that i want to avoid. It is named after the malacca sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1400 and 1511. The strait of malacca is the primary chokepoint in asia, and in recent years, between 85% and 90% of annual total petroleum flows through this chokepoint were crude oil.
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