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| Southeast Asia | |
| Someone reads Rantburg: Companies offers anti-piracy escort | |
| 2005-07-31 | |
| EFL. Ship captains navigating the Malacca Strait no longer have to depend on the slow response of government – or sheer luck – to safely pass through the pirate- and terrorist-infested waters since private navies have begun providing escort services for ships through the strategic seaway. Five security companies from Britain and the U.S. have entered the private navy business in the region in the last year, hoping to tap a market that prices security at a minimum of $50,000 per ship. Companies like Background Asia Risk Solutions, the first naval security firm to open for business in Singapore, hire U.S. and British Commonwealth ex-military and police personnel, many with experience in Iraq or Afghanistan. While forbidden by law from using heavy machine guns and no one would ever break the law, nudge-nudge, the armed escorts provide onboard security and chartered patrol boats to escort client ships. Some firms even claim to be able to recapture ships or oil rigs from hijackers by rappelling security forces from helicopters. Sounds like an old Alistair MacLean novel. "We are not in the business of eradicating piracy," Alex Duperouzel, managing director of Background Asia, told the Glasgow Sunday Herald. "But we are in the business of suppressing it and protecting our clients." Background Asia typically runs six escort missions monthly at around $100,000 each. The going rate for ransoming kidnapped ship's masters in the region is $120,000. Duperouzel said his forces have not yet had to open fire – his men merely stepping up to the side of the ship with weapons displayed has been sufficient to convince pirates to leave, often to find easier prey. Look. I hope I wasn't outa line with that crack about "ye scurvy dogs." While statistics indicate 4 murders of crew members last year, the number of attacks in Indonesian waters and the Strait dropped from 77 to 56, a sign, perhaps, the private navies are suppressing piracy.
The 12-15 gangs in the area, each about 50-strong, operate out of southern Thailand and Indonesia. Some have links to the Triads in Hong Kong, organized crime syndicates with resources and networks to fence stolen cargoes. Others are associated with Islamic terrorist groups like Jemaah Islamiyah. "We are concerned that terrorists may seize control of a tanker with a cargo of lethal materials, LNG (liquefied natural gas) perhaps, chemicals, and use it as a floating bomb against our port," Tan said. "This would cause catastrophic damage, not only to the port but also for people, because our port is located very near to a highly dense residential area. Thousands of people would be killed." "If terrorists were to seize a tanker, a large ship, and sink it into a narrow part of the Straits it will cripple world trade," Tan said. "It would have the iconic large impact which terrorists seek." Malaysia has rejected the use of foreign forces to patrol the area. Kind of like our liberals wanting to disarm citizens. For now, that leaves the private navies that have proven their mettle against pirates seeking booty but who have yet to be tested against terrorists intent on destruction, whatever the cost. | |
| Posted by:Jackal |
| #10 There aren't any international waters in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, except perhaps at the far northern end. Perhaps the better term would be 'shipping lanes'. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-07-31 15:42 |
| #9 I dunno how cut-and-dried this business is, though. Seems like having your own private security escort might be handy for getting rid of competitors. And just as pirates might get into the security business, I can see escort firms getting into piracy on the side . . . I think Snalet's idea probably is on the right track. Of course the details are hairy: which sets of books do you use--the ones that say the lost ship was carrying scrap iron or the ones that say it was carrying titanium? And is the ship really lost, or did it just get repainted and diverted? |
| Posted by: James 2005-07-31 14:54 |
| #8 Of course, a Q-ship operation would cost about $500k per boatload of pirates sent to the bottom, but the solution would be much more cost-effective in the long run. Emphasis would be on quick, clean, and little flotsam. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-07-31 10:41 |
| #7 The 12-15 gangs in the area, each about 50-strong, operate out of southern Thailand and Indonesia. I wonder how many are Muslim? I wonder if the idiots push the Thai government too much, the resultant ethnic cleansing will solve two problems at once. |
| Posted by: Speretch Thromomp3699 2005-07-31 08:48 |
| #6 Ok, ok...maybe "equivalent" was a bit strong. More like virus protection software. There is always the temptation to make a virus that only your product can cure. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if the pirates get into the "pirate protection" business too. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-31 08:08 |
| #5 Snalet - another good point. This is the equivalent of Mafia stype protection money and it would be better if the govn'ts would do it for free. The danger is that as the protection companies get entrenched, it becomes in their interests to keep the piracy threat alive. damned if you do, damned if you don't. |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-07-31 07:59 |
| #4 There aren't any international waters in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, except perhaps at the far northern end. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-07-31 04:40 |
| #3 Here is a solution to this Mafia style protection money. Every country has to guarantee the safe passage of ships in its water. In the event of the piracy, the country responsible for its water must pay immediately all the loss immediately to the owner of the ship. |
| Posted by: Snalet Ebbesh6073 2005-07-31 04:06 |
| #2 Actually, they have been doing this for several months, as the RB archives will show. I'd attribute a major portion of the decrease in pirate attacks to the tsunami. Ships are also a bit better prepared. The bad news is that the larger, better-organized groups are the ones who likely came out relatively intact. The security forces also being careful and staying in international waters. Both Malaysia and Indonesia are quite protective of their sovereignty. In fact,there was a diplomatic dust-up between Singapore and Malaysia about the anchoring location of one of the private vessels. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-07-31 03:04 |
| #1 Dirk and Clive will be watching closely for new plots, methinks. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-07-31 02:26 |