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hina has offered to hold joint patrols with ASEAN countries to escort vessels from the region crossing the Gulf of Aden in the wake of rampant Somali piracy.

“China offered [ASEAN countries] a coordinated convoy to escort merchant vessels crossing the Gulf of Aden for their safety. If any ASEAN countries are willing to be part of that convoy headed by China‘s Navy, they should let China know,” Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told a press conference in Jakarta on Friday on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting.

Hamidi said the offer was made by the Chinese delegation during an informal breakfast meeting limited to defense ministers.

Indonesian Defense Ministry secretary-general Eris Herryanto said although he did not know anything about the offer, it was possible for Indonesia to join coordinated patrols as long as “we share a common interest and respect each other”.

As part of the important Suez Canal shipping route, the Gulf of Aden waterway in the Middle East sees 21,000 ships crossing annually.

The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Center, a Malaysia-based non-governmental organization, said in a report dated April 28, 2011, that there were 173 attacks of piracy and 23 hijackings worldwide since early this year. Those attacks involved 26 vessels and 518 hostages.

It is estimated that piracy has cause the world community to suffer between US$13 billion and $16 billion in annual losses.

Indonesia has not been excepted from pirate attack. Twenty sailors on board the Indonesia-flagged cargo ship MV Sinar Kudus were taken hostage by Somali pirates for 46 days before PT Samudera Indonesia, the owner of the vessel, paid a ransom to the pirates earlier this month.

Legal expert and veteran Indonesian diplomat Hashim Djalal and University of Indonesia security expert Andi Widjajanto agreed that the Chinese offer was a good option to reinforce the fight against piracy.

“We should remember that [the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] requires all countries to prevent and fight pirates,” Hashim said. “[Therefore] ASEAN countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand that have suffered attacks by Somali pirates should consider China’s offer.”

Andi said command of the joint patrols would likely be in the hands of China, which has the biggest fleet of ships, and the ideal area of operation would be as far as Oman’s waters in the north, Madagascar’s waters in the south and all coastal areas in the western part of the Indian Ocean.

Thirteen Indonesians are still being held hostage by pirates along with the crew of the hijacked Singapore-flagged vessel MT Gemini.

However, Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said that the crew was alright.