Article

2005-07-31 Southeast Asia

Someone reads Rantburg: Companies offers anti-piracy escort

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Posted by Jackal 2005-07-31 01:20|| || Front Page|| [4 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Dirk and Clive will be watching closely for new plots, methinks.

Posted by .com 2005-07-31 02:26|| 2005-07-31 02:26|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 03:04|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 04:06|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 04:40|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 07:59|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 08:08|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 08:48|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 10:41|| Front Page Top

#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">James 2005-07-31 14:54|| http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com]">[http://idontknowbut.blogspot.com] 2005-07-31 14:54|| Front Page Top

#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|| 2005-07-31 15:42|| Front Page Top

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