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On May 19, 2015, the South Korean ship Petro Alpha was attacked by pirates while crossing the Strait of Malacca. Armed with knives, the pirates assaulted the crew and robbed them of their personal belongings and cash. The Singaporean MT Ocean Energy, attacked about two weeks earlier in the same strait, was less lucky: after threatening the crew members at gunpoint and hijacking the tanker, the pirates made off after transferring the ship's oil cargo to another vessel.
These incidents are just two examples of a continuing spate of pirate attacks on vessels transiting the narrow stretch of water located between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Needless to say, acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships are a source of great concern to the international community. Given the recent sharp rise in pirate attacks in Southeast Asia, East Asian states are particularly apprehensive about piracy and armed robbery.
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Piracy Reporting Centre, a total of 190 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships occurred in 2015 between January and September. This is a 6.7 percent increase over the same period in 2014. Particularly noteworthy is the sharp rise of incidents in Southeast Asia. Approximately 83 percent of all cases were registered in this area, with the majority taking place in Indonesia (86 incidents), followed by Vietnam (19), Malaysia and Bangladesh (11 each). While pirate attacks in other locations such as Somalia and West Africa have diminished considerably, incidents in Southeast Asia registered a 38.9 percent year-on-year rise.
Today, the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca are among the world's most dangerous waters with far too many incidents. Ships of diverse nationalities pass through the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, as it is an important shipping route linking the Indian Ocean to South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other countries. The rising number of transnational pirate attacks and the increasingly violent nature of the incidents make the question of piracy and armed robbery against ships a rising safety threat in Southeast Asian sea lanes.
It is also likely that modern-day pirates are becoming increasingly involved in other types of organized crime such as human and drug trafficking. Moreover, some analysts have long warned of the danger that pirate groups and terrorist organizations could join hands, thus heightening the risk of major seaborne attacks.
The global scope and severity of piracy and armed robbery call for a boost in multilateral, national and bilateral efforts at combating piracy. Recent effective multilateral efforts have led to a sudden drop in pirate incidents in Somalia: no pirate incidents have occurred off the coast of Somalia from January to September 2015. The combined efforts of the navies of various nationalities, including South Korea, together with the stabilizing factor of the central Somali government have surely contributed to this positive outcome. The precipitous decline of piracy in this area underscores the importance of strengthened regional and multi-dimensional cooperative efforts at combating piracy.
The precedent of successful international efforts in Somalia is a clear sign of the need for expanding region-wide cooperation in Southeast Asia. Since present-day pirates are often extremely mobile and equipped with state-of-the-art technology, piracy and armed robbery against ships have become extremely difficult to eradicate on a purely national level. Moreover, with the economic slowdown and persisting poverty, some of the root causes of piracy, this trend is expected to increase in the coming years.
In this regard, the region's countries, including littoral states, port states and flag states should jointly strengthen multi-dimensional cooperative efforts such as information sharing, coordination of sea patrols, conducting of cross-border and multi-agency operations and regional training, as well as the swift prosecution and extradition of pirates. Furthermore, it is necessary for countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia to become party to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
In Korea, the task of formulating and implementing anti-piracy efforts takes on special importance when considering the country's status as a major trading nation. As an export giant that is highly reliant on global trade, Korea is particularly vulnerable to piracy that threatens maritime trade routes. In Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden in 2011, Korean troops engaged in a naval operation against Somali pirates that had captured and held a Korean tanker, the Samho Jewelry. This operation has shown that Korea is willing and able to protect its nationals and property whenever and wherever needed. It also points toward the possibility of Seoul taking on a more dynamic role in regional anti-piracy efforts.
The recent escalation in piracy incidents in Southeast Asia signals a strong need for boosting the region's efforts to deter pirates, and calls for Korea and other Asian nations to strengthen regional cooperation aimed at combating piracy.
Dr. Park Hee-kwon is ambassador to the Royal Kingdom of Spain.
