Reports in 2002: january - March

By Mark Bruyneel

Date: 2002, April 2
1. Number of Attacks so far in 2002:
  • Most of 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. The first weekly report of 2002 contained incidents about 2001 only. So far 85 separate incidents (including warnings) have been reported this year 1. If I make an estimate of incidents NOT reported in the Weekly reports based on the "Comparison of 2001 Figures of the International Maritime Bureau" the total number could be as high as: 85 / 3 * 4 = 114. There have also been a few incidents which have been reported in newspapers and at the websites of the Int'l Vessel Cas. D'base and the ASAM database which have so far not been included in official reports by either the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) or the International Maritime Organization.So far the IMO has not released any Monthly reports for 2002 and the first quarterly report of the IMB for 2002 has not appeared yet. The total estimated number is therefore somewehere around: 100.
    The graph contains only the incidents from the weekly reports set out against the reports for 2001! The graph shows a general increase of reported incidents in the weekly reports for 2002 as compared to 2001. This may indicate that the number of incidents is increasing again and that the total number over the whole of 2002 may be higher again than last years' total.

    • Some of the more notable piracy incidents in the fist quarter of 2002 so far are:

  • An attack and hijacking of the Lebanese vessel Princess Sarah off the coast of Somalia. The initial attack took place on Monday 14 January. 6 armed men in 2 white-hulled speedboats tried to stop the vessel while underway and fired at it. The captain and crew managed to get away from them in the rough sea but apparantly sustained some damage which forced them to stop after 20 miles and make repairs to the engine. Two days later a second attack took place and the pirates managed to take over the vessel. According to newspaper sources the owner has been negotiating with the pirates for the release of the crew and vessel. The 18 crewmen include 8 Ukranians, 4 Lebanese and a number of Egyptians. The intial ransom demand was for $60,000, but later this was changed to $200,000. There have been some confusing reports in several newspapers but the crew are thought to be alive and well. According to the latest newspaper reports the owner, Issa Tawfiq, has reached an agreement about the release of the crew for an amount of money which is less than the demanded $200,000. A French navy vessel has been sent to oversee their release1, 6-8. According to a newspaper article in the Washington Post10 the pirates released the vessel on 26 January after being paid an undisclosed amount of money. According to the captain of the vessel, Ahmed Kanji, some of the 21 pirates were Somalis.
    The troubles of Vessel and its crew were not over, however, because another attack took place off the coast of Somalia on 29 January. This time the pirates were scared away by a helicopter that was sent by the nearby French warship Floreal13.
  • Warning:
    According to a newspaper article in the Vanguard12 the Nigerian rivers and waters have become more dangerous since fighting has broken out between rival pirate gangs for control of the waterways. These gangs are suspected to be originally members of the same gang whose big chief was killed late last year. Most oil companies in the area have engaged the services of armed mobile policemen as escorts.
  • 08.03.2002 at 0200 LT at Tanjung Balai, Karimun, Indonesia.
    Seven pirates armed with swords and knives hijacked a tug and a barge at anchor. All six crew were tied up. Five were forced to board a speedboat and taken to a nearby island. They managed to untie themselves and boarded a passing fishing boat. Whereabouts and safety of the remaining one crewmember are unknown. The tug and barge are still missing. The incident was reported in the Weekly report of 5 - 11 March 20021.
  • Pirates have attacked the Vostochnyi, a Ukranian tanker, in Guinean territorial waters near the West African coast. The pirates fired on the vessel with machine guns and forced it to stop. Pirates also shot through & destroyed an electricity cable. Under threat the crew was forced to give about 13,000 dollars, which was all they had. The bandits also took two television sets, a cassette recorder, a radio set and mooring wire after which they disappeared. They left in a wooden boat and proceeded towards coast. After the arrival at Conakry a report was made to the Ukranian Embassy. The Ukranian Embassy to Guinea then sent a note to the local foreign ministry, requesting Guinea to thoroughly investigate into the incident and punish the criminals, as well as ensure that other Ukranian ships are safe in Guinean waters35 + 36.

    • 2. Measures taken/proposed:
  • Sometime ago the "EU-ASEAN Experts' meeting on Maritime Security 2002" was announced. The two-day meeting has now taken place on 25 and 26 February at the Westin Philippine Plaza hotel in Manila. A provisional agenda lists some of the items which were discussed. Included in this list are the following two items:
    1. exchange of views on local and regional developments, the subject of defining piracy, armed robbery, terrorism, phantom ships and other transnational maritime crimes
    2. Exploration of possible areas for cooperation between EU and ASEAN2.
    During the discussions many plans have been discussed and many suggestions have been made to improve efforts to combat piracy more effectively. One of the suggestions involved the establishment of an independent government body in Indonesia which would coordinate local efforts21. A second proposal concerned the formulation of national anti-piracy legislation by countries who have no such laws yet and combined with this a regional agreement to coordinate efforts between nations23 in areas with a high incidence of piracy. A third proposal was the formation of a "neutral-patrol fleet" by countries in ASEAN. Maritime police and navies can work together more closely this way, in sea lanes without national jurisdiction. The European Union is interested in exchanging information, holding joint exercises, and conducting training sessions with ASEAN coast guard agencies and navies24.
  • A recent article in the Shipping Times of 15 January reports on a lecture given by Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi of Japan in Singapore. In the Lecture he highlights piracy as one of the main initiatives for future cooperation between Japan and the ASEAN nations. Koizumi says that more cooperation between the respective coast guards could be part of a formal agreement on Asia-wide cooperation to combat piracy3.
  • On 15 January the Piracy Reporting Centre announced that it would expand its broadcasting service by satellite to cover the Southern Hemisphere. Masters of vessels will now also be able to receive the daily broadcasts of piracy incidents when sailing in waters off the South American and West African coasts in addition to the weekly reports which are posted on the internet. Local maritime authorities will also be able to benefit from these daily broadcasts4.
  • A newspaper article in the New Straits Times of 17 January mention reports on the plans of the government of Malaysia for its Marine police. Malaysia intends to increase its Marine Police with 15 new vessels which will be equipped with the modern telecommunication equipment. Some older vessels will be phased out. According to the article the Marine Police has managed to reduce the number of piracy incidents from 30 in 2000 to 3 in 2001. Incidents which have been reported to the IMB or IMO show only a slight decrease from 24 in 2000 to 18 in 2001 and the number for 2001 may yet be higher when the annual reports of the IMO and IMB appear5. Nevertheless, the Marine Police has made known its intent to decrease the number this year to zero. Closer cooperation and exchange of information with neighbouring countries are considered to be the main instruments to further decrease the number of incidents. Another contributing factor to make the Malacca Straits safer is a further increase in public awareness of the piracy problem11. At the moment the Royal Malaysian Marine Police uses 44 vessels to guard its waters off the coastline. Whether the efforts of one particular nation can continue to solve the piracy problem is doubtful because the pirates may just relocate their activities to waters of another (nearby) nation. It will most likely take a more concerted action by all nations in Asia to provide a more permanent solution16.
  • According to a Press Briefing of the IMO a meeting is being held by the Intersessional Working Group of the Maritime Safety Council from 11 February to 15 February at the IMO headquarters. The meeting is a direct result of the terrorist attack on New York of last year and focuses on all issues relating to the security of ports and vessels at sea. Issues which are discussed include: an Automatic Identification System (AIS) for ships, Security plans for ports and vessels, and existing international regulations and conventions dealing with maritime security14.
  • A newspaper article in the Jakarta Post reports on the intended response by the Indonesian Navy to the reported number of piracy incidents in 2001. The Indonesian Navy will increase its efforts to combat piracy in Indonesian waters as well as the Malacca Straits. At the moment 26 ships and 10 aircraft are used in patrolling these waters. 3 of these ships are used to patrol coastal waters off Aceh on a permanent basis and 3 others are also used on a permanent basis to patrol the Malacca Straits. First Admiral Franky Kayhatu of the Indonesian Navy admits that the situation calls for a lot more patrol vessels (approx. 75) to reach a minimal security level but such an increase looks to be unlikely. In the short term Indonesia is expected to buy 10 reinforcement ships15. The Navy has announced that it's efforts which have been made by the anti-crime team, from the Belawan Naval Base, over the last 2 years will be continued. Piracy is only one of the crimes which it combats, however, and it's efforts have met with limited success only: since 6 December it has been involved in only 2 piracy incidents. 5 suspected pirates have also been taken into custody on suspicion of hijacking a passenger vessel19. Limited resources are part of the failure to provide an adequate response to the piracy problem in Indonesian waters. For instance, bases near Karimun Island (South of the Singapore Straits) are equipped with old wooden boats. These boats are no match for most pirates who are regularly equipped with modern speed boats 20.
    Indonesia has recently hosted a three-day meeting of officials from 16 countries in Jakarta with support from the non-profit Japanese Nippon Foundation. This second Meeting of East Asian Experts on combatting maritime piracy and armed robbery was held from 5 - 7. At the meeting Indonesia strove for more concrete regional cooperation to combat the problem of piracy. Mr. Hiroshi Terashima of the Nippon Foundation said that basic cooperation would strengthen individual countries' response to increased piracy in the region. The Indonesian Minister of Communications Agum Gumelar admitted that Indonesian has an incredibly difficult task to patrol its waters. It is very difficult to provide maritime safety and law enforcement both in port area and at sea26. Agum Gumelar said that Indonesia shares the view of other countries that there is an obvious need to cooperate. Indonesia is intending to hold joint anti-piracy exercises with Japan. Japan has offered to give some of its older patrol boats of the Japanese Coast Guard to Indonesia27. The Netherlands and the United States of America have made similar offers 30.
  • Some seaworkers' unions are pressuring governments to do something about the rising threat of modern piracy. This was reported in a recent newspaper article in the Observer. Despite most Shipowners and Unions' wishes against arms on board some crews are now carrying weapons for defence purposes. The British union Numast for instance, is opposed to arming crews since this increases the potential for violence22. Whether the number of ships carrying arms will increase remains to be seen. Prospects for a decrease in piracy incidents remain uncertain, however, and as long as governments fail to act decisively these kinds of defence measures will most probably increase17.
  • Despite recent success in the fight against piracy in the area Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf of the Nigerian Senate Committee on Defence said he regretted the fact that the Nigerian Navy is underfunded and ill-equipped to provide adequate security. The senator wants an increase in funds which will give the Navy the means to increase its capability to police it's oil resources and to suppress pirates in Nigerian coastal waters. He will soon introduce a proposal which, if accepted by the Government will take care of this18.
  • According to a newspaper article in the BBC Monitoring Service on 12 March new talks were held between maritime authorities and experts from 15 Asian countries in Tokyo. The two-day meeting is sponsored by the Land, Infrastructure and Transport Ministry of Japan28 + 29. At the meeting emphasis was put on the fact that closer cooperation betweeen Asian nations is essential and that an exchange is needed of information on current anti-piracy regulations introduced by each country. The participants also agreed that closer cooperation with international organizations (including IMO) is needed. It is also expected that IMO's current anti-terrorist measures will be able to contribute to the suppression of piracy31.
  • ASEAN has recently strengthened the fight against maritime piracy and armed robbery by the formation of a sea piracy task force. This policy task force will study issues related to the fight against maritime piracy and armed robbery. According to an article in the Shipping Times of 13 March the task force will stucy 6 areas of cooperation: informations exchange, legal matters, law enforcement matters, training, institutional capacity building and extra-regional cooperation. The task force will formulate proposals which will then be presented at the Second Annual ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Kuala Lumpur this April30.
  • According to a newspaper article in the Accra Mail seven West-African countries held a meeting in La Palm Beach Hotel in Accra at the end of this March. The participating countries were: Cameroon, Liberia, Nigeria, Guinea, Ghana Côte d'Ivoire, and Sierra Leone. During the discussions it became clear that funding may not always be the real problem but weak policy and lack of cooperation may be (accoording to Nigeria). According to the Ghanaian representative political differences between between some nations impede the succesfull anti-piracy efforts. The talks focused on the possibility to increase regional cooperation and co-operative measures to improve coastal security34.

    • 4. Success against pirates:
  • Recently the Nigerian Navy has had some success in combating piracy in the coastal waters and ports of Nigeria. 5 people have been arrested and are to be charged with the crime of piracy. The 4 men and 1 woman were part of a group of 10 suspected pirates who had attacked the vessel "MV Epic" last week. The girlfriends had been sent aboard as prostitutes but were in reality scouting out the ship for information about the cargo and other valuables. They then used their cell phones to call their accomplices. The pirates were working in collusion with an immigration officer who extorted $1,500 from the captain on the charge of harbouring Nigerian girls. 5 of the gang were arrested by the Navy before they had a chance to divide the loot. Others, including the as yet unidentified immigration officer, are still being sought by the authorities9.
  • Three people are reportedly taken into custody by the Sabagreia community in the area of Bayelsa. The three suspected pirates attempted to hijack and rob a hired speed boat on their journey on river Nun. During the struggle the steering wheel broke which made the boat very hard to control. The 3 tried to flee into the bush but were apprehended by members of the Sabagreia community25.
  • According to a newspaper article in teh Standard Times of March 13 Sierra Leone is succesfully responding to attacks by pirates on vessels in its waters. On 8 March the Maritime forces of Sierra Leone were called to deal with a pirate attack off Yelibouya Island. The fishing vessel MV SEWA 2 was attacked by five men who were heavily armed and dressed in military fatigues. Upon the arrival of two fast patrol boats a fire exchange took place during which one sailor was injured. After a brief exchange the pirates fled into Guinean waters and the pursuit had to be abandoned. All crew on board the fishing vessel were reported safe. The abovementioned incident is but one of several to which the maritime forces of Sierra Leone has recently responded32.
  • Security forces in Indonesia detained two suspected Filipino pirates a few hours after they shot dead a skipper of a fishing trawler and wounded a fisherman close to Pulau Jambongan in the Beluran district on Sabah's east coast on February 16. The two are suspected of being part of a gang of four pirates who attacked a fishing vessel and robbed it of walkie-talkie's and fishing equipment. The pirates were armed with M-16 and MT-5 weapons and wore army fatigues. Both captured pirates are both foreigners and have been handed over to the police33.

    • Sources:
    1. Weekly piracy report. - International Maritime Bureau. Piracy Reporting Centre:
      Weekly piracy report: 1 January 2002 to 7 January 2002. - 2002 January 8. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 109])
      Weekly piracy report: 8 January 2002 to 14 January 2002. - 2002 January 15. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 110])
      Weekly piracy report: 15 January 2002 to 21 January 2002. - 2002 January 22. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 111])
      Weekly piracy report: 22 January 2002 to 28 January 2002. - 2002 January 29. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 112])
      Weekly piracy report: 29 January 2002 to 4 February 2002. - 2002 February 5. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 113])
      Weekly piracy report: 5 February 2002 to 11 February 2002. - 2002 February 12. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 114])
      Weekly piracy report: 12 February 2002 to 18 February 2002. - 2002 February 19. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 115])
      Weekly piracy report: 19 February 2002 to 25 February 2002. - 2002 February 26. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 116])
      Weekly piracy report: 26 February 2002 to 4 March 2002. - 2002 March 5. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 117])
      Weekly piracy report: 5 March 2002 to 11 March 2002. - 2002 March 12. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 118])
      Weekly piracy report: 12 March 2002 to 18 March 2002. - 2002 March 19. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 119])
      Weekly piracy report: 19 March 2002 to 25 March 2002. - 2002 March 26. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 120])
      Weekly piracy report: 26 March 2002 to 1 April 2002. - 2002 April 2. - (Weekly piracy report ; [nr. 121])
    2. EU-ASEAN Experts' Meeting on Maritime Security 2002 - provisional agenda. - London : Foreign & Commonwealth Office , Dec 2001
    3. Anti-piracy pact a top priority, says Koizumi / Beth Jinks
      In: Shipping Times (2002 Jan 15) [Newspaper article]
    4. New ICC satellite service takes the fight against pirates global
      . - London : ICC International Maritime Bureau, 2002 Jan 15
      Source: http://www.iccwbo.org/ccs/news_archives/2001/satelite.asp
    5. Marine police aim for 15 more vessels / Nik Imran Abdullah
      In: New Straits Times (2002 Jan 17) [Newspaper article]
    6. Mystery over ship hijacked off Somalia / Pete Harrison, Joe Logan
      In: Reuters Online (2002 Jan 18) [Newspaper Article]
    7. Owner offers ship for crew's lives off Somali coast / Oleksandr Kolodiy
      In: BBC Monitoring Service (2002 Jan 19) [Newspaper Article]
    8. Princess Sarah owner negotiates ransom
      In: Lloyds List (2002 Jan 23)
    9. Navy arrests 5 suspected pirates / Chris Anucha
      In: This Day (2002 Jan 25) [Newspaper Article]
    10. Pirates release Lebanese ship
      In: The Washington Post (2002 Jan 26) [Newspaper Article]
    11. Zero-attack target set: marine police step up patrols to keep Malacca
      Straits free of pirates / Nathaniel Xavier
      In: The Star (2002 Jan 28) [Newspaper Article]
    12. Rival pirates 'War' over control of waterways in Bayelsa / Samuel Oyadongha
      In: Vanguard (2002 Jan 29) [Newspaper Article]
    13. Second pirate attack
      In: The Birmingham Post (2002 Jan 30) [Newspaper Article]
    14. IMO to address key maritime security issues. - London : International Maritime
      Organization. Maritime Safety Committee, 2002 Feb 11. - (Press Briefing)
    15. Navy sends 6 warships to combat piracy
      In: Jakarta Post (2002 Feb 9) [Newspaper Article]
    16. Dramatic fall in attacks but can the Malacca pirates be kept on the run?
      In: Lloyds List (2002 Feb 12)
    17. Crews take up guns to fight pirates / Nick Paton Walsh
      In: The Observer (2002 Feb 10) [Newspaper Article]
    18. Senate Defence Committee chairman deplores poor funding of navy / Sola Adebayo
      In: Vanguard (2002 Feb 12) [Newspaper Article]
    19. Navy battles crime Medan / Apriadi Gunawan
      In: Jakarta Post (2002 Feb 14) [Newspaper Article]
    20. Indonesia steps up forces to fight scourge of piracy / Marcus Hand
      In: Lloyds List (2002 Feb 14)
    21. Independent body to fight sea crimes badly needed / Leo Wahyudi S
      In: Jakarta Post (2002 Feb 16) [Newspaper Article]
    22. Shipowners must provide security for their vessels / Brian Orrell, Paul Redfern
      In: The East African (2002 Feb 25) [Newspaper Article]
    23. Maritime piracy to top agenda of ASEAN-EU meet ('Practical solutions needed')
      / Karen L. Lema
      In: BusinessWorld (2002 Feb 26) [Newspaper Article]
    24. EU offers help to tackle sea terrorism / Malou Talosig
      In: Gulf News (2002 Feb 27) [Newspaper Article]
    25. Community apprehends pirates
      In: This Day (2002 Feb 28) [Newspaper Article]
    26. Meeting advances regional fight against piracy / Donald Urquhart
      In: Shipping Times (2002 March 6) [Newspaper article]
    27. Jakarta calls for unity to fight piracy / Marcus Hand
      In: Lloyds List (2002 March 6)
    28. Asian nations begin talks in Japan on measures to combat maritime piracy
      In: BBC Monitoring Service (2002 March 12) [Newspaper article]
    29. Officials discuss fighting Asian piracy at Tokyo conference
      In: The Star (2002 March 12) [Newspaper article]
    30. Asean sets up sea piracy task force / Donald Urquhart
      In: Shipping Times (2002 March 13) [Newspaper article]
    31. Asian nations vow to step up fight against piracy
      In: The Daily Star, vol.3 (2002 March 14) nr. 895 [Newspaper article]
    32. Armed gang attacks fishing boat
      In: Standard Times (2002 March 13) [Newspaper Article]
    33. Two pirates held after killing of skipper
      In: New Straits Times (2002 March 19) [Newspaper Article]
    34. Piracy of the water: a problem of the future / Zoe Cullen
      In: Accra Mail (2002 March 26) [Newspaper Article]
    35. Ukranian tanker attacked by pirates near Guinea
      In: BBC Monitoring Service (2002 March 28) [Newspaper Article]
    36. Maritime Security Bulletin - 22 March 2002 / Maritime Security.com
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