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. Almost half of the worlds pirate attacks happen in southeast asia. Maritime jurisdiction in the malacca and singapore straits is a complex and sensitive issue. 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. This process was just beginning as ibn battuta came through. Southeast asia was the location of 41% of the worlds pirate attacks between 1995 and 20. The malacca straits tend to be a favorite ground for pirates, said. 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. Pirates attack ship in malacca strait this is the second attack by pirates in the area since the tsunami. Piracy in the horn of africa, west africa and the strait.
See pirate attacks in malacca strait at sixyear low, the straits times, 9 november 2005, p. The suppression of piracy and other forms of maritime violence was a keystone in the colonisation of southeast asia. 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 west indian ocean, which includes somalia, accounted for just 28%, and the west african coast only. Nonetheless, in 2004, the region accounted for 40% of piracy worldwide. The region overtook somalia as the main piracy hub in 2014. We dont stand a chance against the pirates, an indonesian naval officer conceded at the time. The earliest documented instances of piracy were in the 14th century bc. Those who engage in acts of piracy are called pirates, while dedicated ships that are used by them are called pirate ships.
Threat convergence transnational security threats in the. 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 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. Department of criminology, university of pennsylvania august 20 to may 2014. Bbc news asiapacific pirate attacks in malacca strait. High traffic, high risk in the strait of malacca the. Attacks on ships at sea in 2006 fell to 239 vessels, down from 276 in 2005. Ramadan pirates might be highly motivated because they needed extra cash to bring home for celebration. 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. According to a maritime regulator, pirates have attacked two uncontracted ships in the malacca strait. Indonesia is often cited as the main source of pirates operating in the malacca strait. 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 the latest reports, the pirates who can be violent. Safety and security in the malacca and singapore straits. Indonesia, malaysia and singapore formed highlypublicised joint patrols in the malacca straits, sharing radio frequencies and approving the pursuit of. 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. 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. That would explain the strait of malacca, a natural paradise for seafaring bandits. 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. Reports say that no personnel on the ships were harmed, but the. 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. Strait of malacca, waterway connecting the andaman sea indian ocean and the south china sea pacific ocean. Like everyone else, i knew the malacca straits were dangerous because of the pirates. It is named after the malacca sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1400 and 1511. Given the united states limited assets, is the current strategic plan to combat piracy effective.
While both of these indispensable maritime routes have. 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. But it is very firm in its position that all three of the countries are fully responsible for security in the strait. Pdf piracy, terrorism and the balance of power in the.
Singapore controls the smallest area of the strait, but the citystate enjoys the biggest economic benefit from shipping activities. As piracy becomes more prevalent, collaboration across the asean region is more necessary than ever. Mccain, collided sunday with an oil tanker, has historically been one of the worlds busiest. Piracy, terrorism and the balance of power in the malacca strait. Storm dodging in the malacca strait ep 79 duration. The malacca strait has typically been one of the most pirateinfested sea lanes in the world and it is also one of the busiest. Straddling the sea route between the indonesian island of sumatra, the thaimalay peninsula, and the small citystate of singapore, the straits of malacca are. 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. A nation must have a plan to expend limited resources in pursuit of a clear and achievable objective. The international maritime bureau imb reports worldwide pirate attacks fell for the third year in a row in 2006. Assessing contemporary maritime piracy in southeast asia. The armed men kidnapped a ships captain and two engineers.
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. I didnt intend to sail through the malacca straits. 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. 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. Somalia against the strait of malacca in the south. 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.
The malacca and singapore straits are among the most important waterways in the world. 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. Pirates and terrorists are at the top of my list of things that i want to avoid. Of this number, 21 were cases of suspected piracy, 22 were attempted piracies. That same trend echoed in the strait of malacca where attacks dropped from 79 in 2005 to 50 in 2006. It had been siphoned off by the pirates into a smaller cargo ship. Three states bordering the waterway malaysia, indonesia and singapore have launched aggressive joint measures to try to cut piracy, including air and naval patrols. From the source said that the pirates in the strait of malacca are mostly come from the northern and east parts of aceh region. This low level of piracy has continued into 2008, with. Imagine an aquatic highway flowing between two marshy coasts. Pirates attack ship in malaysian strait march 15, 2005 asian news. Pdf the pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 2000.
How the strait of malacca purged its pirate problem time. Incorporated as a notforprofit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in geneva, switzerland, the forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. The pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 20002011. Pirates are back from somalia to the south china sea. Piracy increases in straits of malacca and singapore. This was the sixth act of piracy within three months in the malacca strait. 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. Piracy has long plagued the 885kmlong waterway between sumatra island and. The problem persists to the current day, with 40% of the worlds pirate attacks taking place in this region in recent years.
Recent reports show that from january until june this year, 56 cases of piracy had taken place in the malacca strait. 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. Next to the sulu sea the most pirateinfested region in southeast asia according to nineteenthcentury colonial observers was the strait of malacca. 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. The waters of southeast asia have more incidents of piracy than any other part of the world. The strait of malacca, a key oil trade chokepoint, links. By 2005, the imo estimated that pirate attacks in the malacca strait accounted for 40% of overall global incidents.
The strait is 500 miles 800 km long and is funnelshaped, with a width of only 40. Pdf the pattern of piracy in the straits of malacca 2000 2011. Security in the straits of malacca the asiapacific. Piracy and armed robbery in the malacca strait us naval war. 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. 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. However, syphoning oil cargo from product tankers similar to incidents in the gulf of guinea has been reported in the malacca strait.
This was the second attack in the malacca strait following the december 26 tsunami, which some experts thought might have hurt the pirates. The economics of piracy in south east asia global initiative. Choong said pirates have moved to gelasa strait, a key waterway off sumatra island, where they struck seven times in the past two months. The strait of malacca became an important maritime trade route between india and china. Some of his nonmuslim subjects may well have been the pirates that plagued the merchant ships in the strait of malacca. A malay prince, ruler of samudra on the coast of sumatra, had converted to islam in the late th century. 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. For some, piracy is the worlds longest running armed con. The strait of malacca skirts along these provinces and the pirates here are often just young, idle and poor.
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