AS A United Nations aid vessel was hijacked in Somali waters yesterday and the sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean took the Oscar for best visual effects, all eyes were on the grave situation of piracy in the Indian Ocean that has threatened to once again reach threatening levels. Given the considerable security risks, governments in the area, particularly Bangladesh and Somalia, must construct a viable plan to combat this threat.
The pirate of today is a far cry from the stereotypical bandana-wearing, swashbuckling Jack Sparrow faring off to sea in a phantom ship searching for the world's treasures. According to a CNN report, most pirates, especially those in the Indian Ocean, are well trained fighters who don military uniforms, ride speedboats equipped with state-of-the-art GPS systems and wield weapons ranging from anti-tank rocket launchers to various types of grenades and automatic weapons.
Their objectives, however, remain equally crooked: targeting passenger, cargo and fishing vessels for ransom or loot with which buy weapons. The aid vessel was hijacked yesterday without its cargo since it had already made its delivery to Somalia, leading experts to believe that the motive could be to hold the 12 crew members for ransom. It was the third case of piracy involving a U.N. ship in Somali waters in just over a year.
The causes for this worrying phenomenon vary by nation, but Somalia and Bangladesh have long been blacklisted as the world's two biggest piracy hotspots by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the body that deals with naval issues ranging from security to commerce. In Somalia, a BBC report has suggested that the Islamist government that held power there last year was vigilant about cracking down on piracy.
However, with the formation of a new, recognized central government, it is not clear that the proper control has been asserted over these pirates. If this continues, the IMB and various other agencies have warned that piracy attacks could reach 2005 levels of about 47 attacks annually. The previous government in Somalia has hired a private maritime security agency from the United States to police its waters, but operations have yet to begin.
Bangladesh's coastal region houses Chittagong, the world's most dangerous port due to rampant piracy. The region is also impoverished and lacks the resources to combat the security threat. Last year the IMB reported an alarmingly high 33 incidents of piracy in Bangladesh. In response, A.M. Shahadat Hossain, Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority, dismissed the report as "bogus" according to Opinion Asia, illustrating that Bangladesh has not even acknowledged the full extent of the problem
Unlike Somalia, where attacks occur in open waters, 75 percent of Bangladeshi piracy incidents are carried out in port areas, showing an arguably non-existent level of security. Although the IMB has commended Bangladesh on its measures so far against piracy, such as joint naval-coastguard operations, there is clearly much more that needs to be done.
In order to step up their efforts against sea piracy, Bangladesh and Somalia should both look to the Southeast Asian model of cooperation. The Malacca Straits, the world's most important waterway that carries half the world's oil and a third of its trade, has gone from being the world's most dangerous waterway to disappearing from the radar of risky waters in just two years. The IMB credits the turnaround to joint security improvements made by littoral states bordering the states and other foreign governments. Last Friday, Thailand, Malaysia and Japan held joint marine enforcement exercises off the coast of Malaysia. Maritime experts have long stressed the role of joint efforts in increasing professionalism, coordinating efforts and strengthening ties.
Bangladesh has no agreements with its maritime neighbors India and Myanmar on anti-piracy controls, according to Opinion Asia. The lack of bilateral agreements is perhaps the most acute obstacle preventing the eradication of this vicious crime. Bangladesh has also yet to ratify several multilateral agreements regarding maritime navigation. Experts have suggested that Bangladeshi security agencies focus their efforts on improving port physical security while also honing their skills through cooperation with India, who has significant expertise in dealing with sea piracy.
Somalia would also do well to strengthen its hold on militants and sign bilateral agreements with other African nations rather than privatizing regional security concerns. Among potential allies is Nigeria, which has also experienced a ruthless spate of kidnappings of foreign workers in oil companies.
The international community must address the issue of sea piracy while being fully cognizant of the potential nexus between piracy and the vice of international terrorism. For example, The South Asia Analysis Group has noted that piracy is an integral part of the activities of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. There is no reason why Al Qaeda might shift its focus from spectacular airborne attacks to sea hijackings. The bombing of the USS Cole, after all, is still etched in the memory of US defense forces.
Prashanth's Parameswaran's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at pparameswaran@cavlierdaily.com.
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