Piracy in Asia has declined sharply in recent years as the problem has shifted to the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, maritime experts said on Wednesday.
Incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore have decreased thanks to coordinated efforts by Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, the experts told a maritime conference here.
”The success of the Asian initiative cannot be over-estimated,” said Hartmut Hesse, a senior deputy director with the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the UN’s maritime watchdog.
”This was due to the decisive action taken by the littoral states here in this region … which has surely largely contributed to the stable situation here.”
Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, which border the two key international shipping lanes, have launched coordinated action, including increased air and naval patrols.
Wang Cheng, secretary general of the Asian Shipowners Forum (ASF), expressed relief at the decline in piracy incidents in the region.
”We are pleased that the piracy situation in south-east Asia is now controlled largely due to the continued air and naval coordination patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore,” Wang said at the forum.
ASF members from the shipping community in Asia control about 50% of the world merchant fleet.
‘Most dangerous region’
The experts said the piracy problem has now shifted to Africa, where the waters off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden have emerged as the most dangerous zones for seafarers. Figures released on Tuesday by the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre showed that pirate attacks off Somalia jumped tenfold in the first three months of 2009 compared to a year ago.
Only one such incident was reported in the Strait of Malacca in the first quarter compared to five a year ago, the data showed.
Hesse said the situation off the Somali coast was deteriorating and that more naval involvement from the international community was needed to control the situation in the short term.
”Today the deteriorating security situation off Somalia … and of course the Gulf of Aden, are at the heart of the problem,” Hesse said.
”The situation, specifically off the coast of Somalia, at the moment calls for much military involvement, as you can imagine.”
A long-term solution to the piracy problem in Somalia would be to help the country find a solution to its internal problems, said Hesse, a view supported by the ASF.
Wang urged the world to ”help Somalia and its people to look into their internal community problems”.
”Africa continues to rank as the most dangerous region … in particular, the waters off Somalia and the Gulf of Aden,” said Wang. — Sapa-AFP