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View all search resultsPirates of the Strait
The littoral states responsible for security in the major commercial sea-lane must step up their game against the rising tide of maritime piracy.
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T
he spike in maritime piracy incidents over the last three months in the Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest commercial sea-lanes, is alarming at a time of simmering tensions in the adjacent South China Sea. Unchecked piracy can give major powers like China and the United States justification to boost their naval presence in and around the strait, only to put regional security at risk.
As Indonesia is widely deemed to be a source of the piracy in the Malacca Strait, the government needs to intensify collaboration with its two littoral neighbors, Malaysia and Singapore, in the fight against armed robbery in the waterway.
For its part, Jakarta has stepped up its measures to eradicate maritime piracy, though this is by no means easy because the criminals are suspected of having the support, if not protection, of unidentified parties, including rogue elements within the Indonesian Navy. Such allegations lack proof, and have therefore been flatly denied.
ASEAN leaders will likely discuss the latest situation in the Malacca Strait during their summit on May 9-11 in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara. They are well aware that any security disturbances in the strait will immediately draw international attention, as 40 percent of global commodities, particularly oil and gas, are transported through the narrow waterway.
A meeting of senior officials was held in Singapore at the end of April, and a ministerial meeting will follow later this month to discuss the possibility of a joint operation in the strait.
From January to March of this year alone, 25 incidents of armed robbery against ships in the strait were reported, up 9 percent year-on-year.
The Malacca Strait Council (MSC) held the third Extraordinary Session of the Implementation Committee Meeting on the Joint Hydrographic Survey of the Strait of Malacca in Singapore from April 26 to 27. MSC members Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore also invited Japan to the meeting, which discussed improving maritime safety in the Malacca and Singapore straits.
