Somalia pirates: A reminder for Asia
The confrontation between foreign warships and well-armed pirates off the coast of lawless Somalia is a dramatic reminder to Asia of the importance of safeguarding busy channels used by international shipping, particularly the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
'Cape Horn, Asia and Australia'
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This is the shortest sea route between the energy-rich Persian Gulf and voracious energy consumers in Northeast Asia, especially China, Japan and South Korea.
The deteriorating situation off the Horn of Africa and potential threats to shipping in the Gulf also provide a stark contrast to improved security in previously pirate-prone Southeast Asian waters.
Reflecting the intensifying fighting and political chaos in Somalia, piracy directed at ships passing the country with the longest coastline in Africa has worsened. In recent months, more and more vessels have been hijacked.
If the attacks continue, ships sailing between Asia and the Middle East, and Europe and North America, might have to divert around South Africa's Cape of Good Hope, as they did at great expense from 1967 to 1975 when the Arab-Israeli conflict closed the Suez Canal. This would raise the cost of oil and other goods being shipped to the west, worsening the economic recession and financial turmoil gripping Europe and the US.
Current international concern was galvanised when Somali pirates captured a Ukrainian freighter, the Faina, on September 25. The ship was heading for Kenya loaded with 33 Soviet-designed T-72 battle tanks, artillery, grenade launchers and other arms. With this booty worth an estimated US$30 million, the pirates demanded US$20 million - later reduced to US$8 million, according to reports - to release the ship and its 20 crew members.
A US-led naval flotilla surrounded the Faina, anchored off the coast of central Somalia, and a Russian warship was steaming to the crisis. The Somali government last week authorised foreign powers to use force to free the Faina.
The episode shows how a small but well-armed and determined group of pirates from a failed state can menace a vital international shipping lane despite the presence of warships from global powers.
Several years ago, as international concern mounted over pirate attacks in and around the Straits of Malacca, the governments of countries flanking the waterway - Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia - launched co-ordinated sea patrols in 2004. Last month, Thailand became the fourth country to join the patrols, which are backed by an anti-piracy agreement among regional governments.
There is room for improvement, of course. Although pirate attacks in Southeast Asian waters are down, they still occur.
But the Maritime Bureau of the International Chamber of Commerce, which runs a piracy reporting network for the shipping industry, acknowledges that the number of pirate attacks in the straits of Malacca has dropped because of increased patrolling.
Michael Richardson whom contributed to this report, is an energy and security specialist at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore.
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