Number of Attacks so far in 2001:

The number of attacks that have been reported have been published in the Weekly Piracy Reports at the The Web site of the International Chamber of Commerce. So far 55 incidents have been reported this year ¹. There has been an incident in Tanzania which is reported in the Shipping Times of 10 January and an incident near Lorengau (Papua New Guinea) on 22 January reported by the BBC Monitoring Service, both of which were not included in the weekly reports by the IMB. Also, in the first 2 reports of the International Maritime Organization 36 incidents are reported ^{16 + 23}. 17 of these are also reported in the first weekly reports. 6 of these are not mentioned. The total number is therefore so far: 63. The graph contains only the incidents from the weekly reports set out against the reports for 2000! The graph clearly shows that the number of incidents for the first weeks closely mirrors that of 2001. Only at the end of the first 2½ months are there less reported incidents in 2000.

Some of the more notable piracy incidents in 2001 so far are: A ferry on Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania) was attacked by pirates in the first week of this year. The ferry was transporting 50 passengers from Kigoma to Mgambo when 6 passengers seized the vessel. Two people were killed and twenty forced to jump overboard. Personal property of the passengers was stolen before the pirates escaped on two commandeered fishing boats taking a number of hostages with them. The authorities fear for the lives of those forced to jump overboard because the incident occurred in heavy weather 7.

Another incident happened off Lorengau (Papua New Guinea) on 22 January. The Petro Navigator had departed from Lae several days before with a cargo of 1,352 tonnes of diesel and 159 tonnes of unleaded petrol for Manus, Kimbe and Misima. The petrol charter Petro Navigator was approaching the berth at Lorengau around 1845 local time] on Monday when 15 armed men came and boarded it. The petrol company said the vessel's crew tried to resisted the suspects and called for police assistance. Six policemen responded to the call and boarded the ship, where a struggle ensued. The police were overpowered and the suspects escaped in the vessel's workboat (dinghy) carrying at least one police firearm. Shell PNG said no one was seriously injured although one policeman sustained minor injuries. The pirates are believed to be from the islands of Hawai, Ndilou and Pitilu ¹⁵.

26.01.2001 at 0400 LT in position 01:12N - 103:23E, Singapore straits.
Ten pirates armed with knives boarded a dredger while transiting eastbound traffic separation lane. They demanded money and upon resistance slashed the master and two crewmembers in abdomen and arms. Pirates escaped taking ship's equipment and valuables from the crew. One crew was seriously injured. The injured received treatment ashore and are back on the dredger ¹.

In an article in The Star an attack on a fishing boat is reported. Three suspected pirates attacked the trawler in waters between Selingan and Libaran island while it was on its way back to Sandakan. The boat was stripped of its equipment worth RM 5,OOO and the fishing licence. Fortunately enough, none of the five crew members of the Sandakan-registered trawler were hurt in the incident which occurred on Friday 9 March 2001. The masked pirates were armed with an M-16 and two revolvers ²⁶.

An Indonesian cargo ship laden with tin and pepper had gone missing after being hijacked on a voyage to Singapore and has now been recovered. The Indonesian state shipping line PT Pelni said the KM Inabukwa was hijacked while sailing from Pangkalan Balam, on the island of Bangka. The vessel left the Indonesian port of Pangkalan Balam on the morning of 15th March. While underway, armed pirates boarded her the evening of 15 March. The crew of 23 was reportedly overpowered by more than a dozen armed pirates. Soon after, pirates tied up and blindfolded the 22 crewmembers and dropped them on Pulau Sayap, an uninhabited island in Riau waters. Local fishermen picked up the crew on 17.03.2001 and took them to Riau Island landing them at 0400 on 18.03.2001 after which they sought contact with PT Pelni. The ship along with her cargo of tin plates plus concentrates and pepper worth US$2.1 million went missing. The IMB piracy reporting centre sent out an alert to authorities in the Region. Subsequently, the Philippine coastguard detained a ship on 25 March suspected of being hijacked by pirates in Indonesian waters and to have been repainted to make it look like another vessel. The coastguard intercepted the ship marked "M/V Chugsin" off the northern Philippine province of Ilocos Sur and "discovered" that the marking 'M/V Chugsin' was merely painted over the welded name 'M/V Inabukwa', the latter painted black to match the color of the hull. Seven people aboard the ship failed to present "pertinent vessel documents" and were detained. Inabukwa was bound for Singapore with tin ingots slag when it was hijacked in Indonesia. The coastguard said it was seeking authority from the Indonesian embassy in Manila to open the vessel's cargo hold. The ship was at that time believed to be the 1,170-ton Indonesian M/V Inabukwa which Indonesian authorities reported to have been taken by armed pirates on March 15 ^{1 + 33,34, 37 - 39}. The Philippine officers have inspected the cargo and found the goods to be in their packaging, which appear to have remained unopened ⁴⁰. The crew compartments were ransacked, however. Lockers, Documents and equipement were wrecked and scattered all over the ship. Philippine authorities are now considering what to do with the 7 sailors, found in command of the hijacked vessel. They may be prosecuted in the Philippines or they may be deported to Indonesia to face their trial ⁴³. The ship owners, cargo owners and the captain were requested to come over to conclusively identify the ship. On 11 April the vessel was positively identified as the Inabukwa ⁴⁵.

Measures taken/proposed:

Asian Shipowners have been demanding that more action be taken against pirates and armed robbers. Japan is considering an anti-piracy pact with ASEAN to be able to join in joint international patrols in Southeast Asia. At the moment this is impossible since Japan has no current laws that allow it to control piracy against non-Japanese vessels. Law reforms are discussed by the Japanese Government which will allow Japanese Maritime authorities to crack down on pirates, smugglers and illegal immigrants. Indirect support is already offered: training visiting personnel and participation in regional meetings ^{2 - 4}.

In an article in the Shipping Times (2001 Jan 5) 3 separate incidents are mentioned, two of which off Tanjung Piai in the southern state of Johor on Dec 30 and one in the Malacca Strait. These three attacks are similar in that the pirates operate in a professional manner using commando-style tactics. The Malaysian authorities suspect that this is the work of a pirate gang operating from Batam Island (Indonesia) ⁵. These and other recent incidents in 2000 are the reason that the Marine police off Kukup and Tanjung have decided to increase their efforts against pirate activity in the area. In a report in the Malaysian newspaper The Star (9 January 2001) mention is made of recent exercises with newly acquired high-speed vessels ⁶.

In a communique from the IMB on 17 January this organization warns ship operators about false papers of crews and the need for tighter security. Thousands of cases have been reported involving falsified documents, some of which have involved pirates in disguise. The IMB thinks that if the issuing authorities keep a better grip on fraud the rate of crime and fraud at sea will decrease. Ship operators should also keep a close watch out for false papers because when port authorities discover them hefty charges for negligence can be made ⁸.

The 73rd meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO was concluded on 6 December 2000 ¹⁰. At the meeting the MSC approved a draft text of a "code of practice for the investigation of the crime of piracy and armed robbery against ships". The text was developed by a special correspondence group during 1999 and 2000. Adoption of this code will be pursued at the 22nd assembly in November 2001. The code includes the following parts:

• Prior considerations
• Training of investigations
• Investigative strategy
• Dealing with an initial report
• The investigation

.
The Draft text is currently being spread among members of the IMO and international organisations for prior discussion as MSC/Circ. 984 This paper can be downloaded from the websites of the IMO and the Comite Maritime International.²¹

In an article of the BBC Monitoring Service mention is made of an agreement between Malaysian and Indonesian navies which was signed on 18 January. A two-day workshop was held for navy officers of both countries to explain the implementation of the guidelines resulting from the agreement. The guidelines cover the areas of Communication, Manoeuvres and Movement. Similar agreements may soon be made between Malaysia and other nations in the area ¹¹.

On a special website of the Comite Maritime International information is given about a conference that was held in Singapore between 12 and 17 February. This conference was also announced in nr. 4 of the CMI Newsletter in 1999. During this CMI conference a Piracy Model Law will be discussed. The CMI, with the support of IMO and other intergovernmental organisations has drafted a model law on Piracy which may be easily adopted by national legislatures. Participants of the 37th CMI conference will be invited to consider this draft law, propose amendments and vote through a final text. This same "code of practice for the investigation of the crime of piracy and armed robbery against ships" was discussed in December at the 73rd meeting of the Maritime Safety Committee of the IMO ^{17 + 18}. At the CMI Conference 400 delegates from all over the world discussed topics from piracy and maritime insurance to passenger rights. Prof. Jayakumar, who opened the Conference, stressed the need for increased patrols and cooperation between organisations and countries to combat piracy ¹⁹.

In the newspaper "The Star" a short article has appeared on a specific Anti-Piracy exercise which was held on 21 February in the Malacca Strait. In this exercise the Royal Malaysian Navy, the RMAF and the National Security Division participated. The exercise was also meant as a warning to pirates and hijackers who operate in the Malacca Straits or near the coast of Malaysia ²⁰.

A new company is being set up by a former executive at Sandline International. The new company will be named "Strategic Consulting International" and its main office is in London. SCI is already involved in an antipiracy venture called Trident. Trident will mostly supply technology for ships as well as advise to governments on how to deal with piracy threats. Active patrolling and other antipiracy activities will for the most part be left to Government authorities²².

In the first quarter of last year the Dutch company Satellites Protection Services (SPS) announced that it would be setting up Maritime Security Teams in three piracy hotspots. The first was to have been established in Subic Bay. On 8 March it was announced that the company was dissolved in 2000. Part of the organization (the division: Satellites Maritime Security) and its assets will be incorporated in a major international security company during the course of this year ²⁴.

The nations Congo and the Republic of Congo have announced that they will increase patrols of the Congo and Oubangi rivers. Helicopter gunships and speedboats will be used for this purpose. The patrols are meant to stop the increasing number of assaults by renegade troops on ships and civilian traffic that has been reported along those waterways. One of the latest incidents involved an attack by two pirates, one armed with a knife, who boarded a general cargo ship and lowered mooring ropes into the boat. When they were spotted by anti piracy watch, the pirates jumped overboard and dropped the ropes into water. The floating mooring ropes were later retrieved ^{1 + 25}.

Over the last 2 years the IMO has held several workshops and seminars in areas that are piracy hotspots to identify measures that could be taken by governments to decrease the number of pirate attacks. This year the IMO will begin evaluating and assessing the anti-piracy measures and actions that governments have taken since then. Specific attention will be given to regional cooperation and joint measures taken by countries in the affected areas. Problems will be identified and solutions will be considered to solve those problems and to see in which ways the IMO can participate in these solutions. The current meetings in Southeast Asia will be followed, later this year, with meetings in Latin America/Caribbean and West Africa ²⁷. The first meeting was held in Singapore on 14 and 15 March with the assistance of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Officials of the following nations participated in the meeting: Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Russia and Singapore ^28-29. The most important results from the discussions at the meeting were:

• an agreement was reached to work towards creating a regional agreement on cooperation with regard to piracy and armed robbery at sea. The IMO will start consultations with regional governments on this kind of agreement.
• vulnerable areas were identified off the coasts and ports of the participating nations. These will be the main focus of efforts since there are only limited resources available ³¹.

In a newspaper article in the Bangkok Post of 19 March another conference was announced. This conference is hosted by Seapol (the Southeast Asian Programme in Ocean Law, policy and management) from Thursday 21 March to Friday 23 March in Bangkok. Discussions include the problem of piracy in Southeast Asia and around the world³⁰. Another meeting was held from March 28 to 30, also in Bangkok and included discussions on transnational crime and piracy. Also discussed was the proposal of the Philippines to set up an ASEAN centre to combat transnational crime ³². At the meetings the Hong Kong Shipowners Association put pressure on Indonesia to increase efforts to stop attacks on merchant ships in the region. Indonesian waters are regarded as the most unsafe waters in the whole of Asia ³⁵. The possibility of International intervention and sanctions were raised if Indonesia fails to stop the attacks or has not enough resources to do so ³⁶. The subject of sanctions was also doubted, however, as a means to press Indonesia to be more active against pirates. Also stressed at the meetings were the need for more uniform laws dealing with piracy in the Southeast Asian region as well as more cooperation between nations ⁴¹. In a newspaper article of 29th March it is reported that the Western Fleet Sea Security Task Force Commander Commodore Dipo Rahardjo was replaced. It is unclear, however, if his replacement has anything to do with the pressure on Indonesia to increase anti-piracy efforts ⁴². The information service chief of the Western Fleet of Indonesia's navy says that pirates have been making use of the civil unrest in many Indonesian provinces. Geographical problems combined with insufficient resources make it difficult to effectively control such a large region. Pirates are also regularly able to show high-quality forged documents that are difficult to distinguish from the real thing ⁴⁴.

According to a newspaper article of 21 February a Dutch Shipowner has begun experimenting with a security system to prevent boarding by pirates. One of its vessels, the Fairlift, is outfitted with electrical wiring that along all sides. Once activated these wires can deliver a shock of 10.000 volts to any unsuspecting pirate. Also, when the alarm is triggered the search lights automatically go on and a sound system starts broadcasting at a volume of 118 decibels ⁴⁶.

Success against pirates:

MV AL HUFOOF 1, cargo vessel 11/09/2000 Gulf of Aden, Flag: Georgia
On 2nd September 2000, the vessel sailed from Sharjah for Massawa in Eritrea, with a cargoe of 3,241 metric tons of wheat flour and sugar. Soon after its departure the ship's owners lost all contact with the vessel. The last known position was in the Gulf of Aden on the 11th September. The ICC International Maritime Bureau investigated the case and found the vessel in a port of Vietnam. The vessel was renamed HONG HEING and was sailing under a Honduran Flag. Upon inquiries it became apparant that this ship was not registered in Honduras. The cargoe was offloaded and stored in a warehouse in Ho Chi Minh City. The crew on board her was the same that had left on board her when she set out on 2nd of September from Sharjah. The information was relayed to the Vietnam Maritime Search and Rescue Co-Ordinating Centre who relayed it to the Ho Chi Minh Port Authorities and other Vietnamese government departments ⁹.

According to newspaper reports in Dow Jones news and The Jakarta Post four Indonesian pirates have been arrested by the Indonesian Navy. After interrogation the pirates admitted to being paid by two Singaporean citizens for seizing an Indonesian vessel. The vessel was a 300-ton ship belonging to Batam-based PT Bandar Victory Shipyard. Loot from attacks was also being taken to Singapore. All of this may be indication of a network of pirates operating in this region and being financed by criminals in Singapore. So far the two Singaporeans have been identified as L and JL. Arresting them will be difficult since there is no extradition treaty between Indonesia and Singapore ^{12 + 13}.

In the Bangkok Post it is reported that 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of being pirates. The arrest was made after a complaint by Prapapron sae Ung that two of her vessels were attacked by 20 men in two trawlers. When they were arrested they allegedly confessed to robbing two fishing boats when returning from Mergui (Burma) on January 11. A marine police patrol caught them on thursday, 18 January, in the Andaman Sea between Koh Chang and Koh Payam ¹⁴.

According to an article in the Shipping Times of 22 March the increased efforts of Bangladesh authorities to halt the increase in piracy incidents seem to be taking effect. The number of reported incidents in 2000 so far was 5 (since this article two more incidents have been reported) and this is a marked decrease over last year. Measures taken include: increased patrols, a review of security measures for ships and more information exchange on reports with neighbouring countries ³⁵.

See also above for a report on the recovery of the hijacked ship KM Inabukwa.

Sources:

1. Weekly piracy report. - International Maritime Bureau. Piracy Reporting Centre:
   Weekly piracy report: 2 January 2001 to 8 January 2001. - 2001 January 9. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 57])
   Weekly piracy report: 9 January 2001 to 15 January 2001. - 2001 January 16. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 58])
   Weekly piracy report: 16 January 2001 to 22 January 2001. - 2001 January 23. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 59])
   Weekly piracy report: 23 January 2001 to 30 January 2001. - 2001 January 30. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 60])
   Weekly piracy report: 31 January 2001 to 5 February 2001. - 2001 February 6. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 61])
   Weekly piracy report: 6 February 2001 to 12 February 2001. - 2001 February 13. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 62])
   Weekly piracy report: 13 February 2001 to 19 February 2001. - 2001 February 20. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 63])
   Weekly piracy report: 20 February 2001 to 26 February 2001. - 2001 February 27. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 64])
   Weekly piracy report: 27 February 2001 to 5 March 2001. - 2001 March 6. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 65])
   Weekly piracy report: 6 March 2001 to 12 March 2001. - 2001 March 13. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 66])
   Weekly piracy report: 13 March 2001 to 19 March 2001. - 2001 March 20. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 67])
   Weekly piracy report: 20 March 2001 to 26 March 2001. - 2001 March 27. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 68])
   Weekly piracy report: 27 March 2001 to 2 April 2001. - 2001 April 3. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 69])
2. Japan mulls anti-piracy pact with ASEAN
   In: BBC Monitoring Service (2001 Jan 3) [Newspaper article]
3. Japan considering anti-piracy pact / P.T. Bangsberg
   In: Journal of Commerce (2001 Jan 3)
4. Japan mulling anti-piracy pact with Asean
   In: Shipping Times (2001 Jan 4) [Newspaper article]
5. Pirates attack ships in M'sian waters
   In: Shipping Times (2001 Jan 5) [Newspaper article]
6. New vessels add bite to piracy fight
   In: The Star (2001 Jan 9) [Newspaper article]
7. Gunmen attack Tanzanian ferry
   In: Shipping Times (2001 Jan 10) [Newspaper article]
8. IMB calls for clamp-down on fake maritime documents. - London :
   International Maritime Bureau. Commercial Crime Services, 2001 Jan 17
   Source: http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/news_archives/2001/imb_fakes.asp
9. Pirates foiled as IMB recovers another stolen ship. - London :
   International Maritime Bureau. Commercial Crime Services, 18 Jan 2001
   Source: http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/news_archives/2001/imb_pirates.asp
10. Mammoth session "without parallel" in IMO's history. - [London] :
    International Maritime Organization. Maritime Safety Committee, 18 Jan 2001
    Source: http://www.imo.org/imo/meetings/msc/73/msc73.htm
11. Malaysian, Indonesian navies sign agreement to avoid unwarranted incidents
    In: BBC Monitoring Service (2001 Jan 19) [Newspaper article]
12. Indonesia Navy Officer suspects Singapore link to pirates
    In: Dow Jones news (2001 Jan 19) [Newspaper article]
13. Singaporeans suspected of funding pirates
    In: The Jakarta Post (2001 Jan 20) [Newspaper article]
14. Twenty pirates arrested
    In: Bangkok Post (2001 Jan 20) [Newspaper article]
15. Oil company reviews security after pirates board tanker off Papua New Guinea
    In: BBC Monitoring Service (Jan 24, 2001) [Newspaper article]
16. Acts reported during January 2001. - London : International Maritime Organization.
    Maritime Safety Committee, 2000 January 31. - (Reports on acts of piracy and armed
    robbery against ships ; MSC/Circ.989) 11 p.
17. The Singapore Conference, 12-17 February 2001
    In: CMI Newsletter, ISSN 0778-9882 (1999) nr.4, P.: 4
18. The Singapore Conference, 12-17 February 2001 / Comite Maritime International, 2001
    Source: http://www.cmi2001.com/
19. Call for better cooperation to keep seas in region safe / Jack Hee
    In: The Straits Times (2001 Feb 13) [Newspaper article]
20. Commandos stage exercise to combat pirates
    In: The Star (24 Feb 2001) [Newspaper article]
21. Draft code of practice for the investigation of the crimes of piracy and armed
    robbery against ships. - London : International Maritime Organisation. Maritime Safety
    Committee, 20 Dec 2000. - (Reports on acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships
    ; MSC/Circ. 984) 8 p.
22. Sandline chief sets up a new company / Jimmy Burns, Francesco Guerrera and Andrew Parker
    In: Financial Times (5 March 2001) [Newspaper article]
23. Acts reported during February 2001. - London : International Maritime Organization.
    Maritime Safety Committee, 2000 February 28. - (Reports on acts of piracy and armed robbery
    against ships ; MSC/Circ.990) 4 p.
24. Maritieme beveiliging / A.J. Melein, 8 March 2001 [email]
25. Congo, Republic of Congo crack down on soldier-pirates / Louis Okamba
    In: New Jersey Online (2001 March 9) [Newspaper article]
26. Armed men rob fishermen of equipment
    In: The Star (2001 March 11) [Newspaper article]
27. IMO leads new anti-piracy initiative - senior officials visit southeast Asia to promote
    regional co-operation. - London : International Maritime Organization, 2001 March 12. - (IMO
    Briefing ; 05, 2001)
    Source: http://www.imo.org/imo/briefing/2001/fax5.htm
28. IMO team, Asia officials to meet on anti-piracy measures
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 15) [Newspaper article]
29. Antipiracy forum opens in Singapore / P.T. Bangsberg
    In: Journal of Commerce (2001 March 15)
30. Conference on ocean governance; experts from 20 countries to converge on Bangkok this week
    In: Bangkok Post (2001 March 19) [Newspaper article]
31. S'Pore, M'sia making great efforts to combat piracy: IMO / Donald Urquhart
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 20) [Newspaper article]
32. Regional co-operation: Asean police chiefs to meet on transnational crime / Achara Ashayagachat
    In: Bangkok Post (2001 March 19) [Newspaper article]
33. Indonesian cargo ship hijacked
    In: ABC online (2001 March 21) [Newspaper article]
34. Pirates hijack Indon ship with $2m cargo / Donald Urquhart
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 21) [Newspaper article]
35. Bangladeshi ports step up anti-piracy patrols / P.T. Bangsberg
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 22) [Newspaper article]
36. HK official calls for Indonesia pirate action: stop attacks or seek international help, says Bowring / Joon San Wong
    In: South China Morning Post (2001 March 26) [Newspaper article]
37. Indonesian cargo ship hijacked
    In: ABC Radio Australia News (2001 March 21)
38. PIRATE ATTACK + RECOVERY. - Int'l Vessel Casualties Database 2001 Reports (Tues. Mar. 20 2001 and Mon. Mar. 26 2001)
39. Hijacked cargo ship seized
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 27) [Newspaper article]
40. Impose sanctions on Indonesia for piracy problem / Beth Jinks
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 28) [Newspaper article]
41. UN urged to toughen piracy laws / Beth Jinks
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 29) [Newspaper article]
42. Indonesia: Naval commander replaced after recent piracy outbreak
    In: BBC Monitoring Service (2001 March 29) [Newspaper article]
43. Hijacked Indon vessel's cargo appears intact / Alec Almazan, Beth Jinks
    In: Shipping Times (2001 March 30) [Newspaper article]
44. Indonesian navy says pirates capitalizing on regional unrest
    In: BBC Monitoring Service (2001 April 1) [Newspaper article]
45. Owners identify hijacked cargo ship Inabukwa / Alec Almazan
    In: Shipping Times (2001 April 11) [Newspaper article]
46. Piraat kan 10.000 volt krijgen / G. ten Voorde
    In: Reformatorisch Dagblad (21 February 2001)