Malacca Strait - Warning to Ship Crews

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Ship crews traveling through the Malacca Strait should take note that an unidentified terrorist group is planning attacks against oil tankers in the Malacca Strait. There's links to more news below:

Alert levels raised in response to warnings of terror attacks in Malacca Strait

SINGAPORE: Singapore's Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said all alert levels have been raised for the shipping community as well as in security measures in Singapore. He was responding to a question in Parliament about the recent security alert in the Malacca Strait issued by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN).

On Thursday, the RSN issued an alert saying it received indications that a terror group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the narrow waterway between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Mr Wong said: "As a result, the various security agencies have been working very closely with one another, including the RSN and also our foreign liaison partners. We are also working very closely with the shipping community and the Singapore Shippers Association has put out an alert to all its members."

Defence Minister Teo Chee Hean said the RSN took action - stepping up the frequency of patrols around Singapore waters. The Maritime Security Task Force has also been coordinating a whole-of-government response with agencies such as the Police Coast Guard and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. Mr Teo said: "As this issue illustrates, threats to maritime security continue to be real and immediate. Countering this threat requires a multiplicity of effort - by governments acting alone and in cooperation with one another.

"In our immediate region, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand have been conducting coordinated patrols to enhance the security of the Malacca Strait. Through these Malacca Strait patrols, the littoral states have continued to work together to combat maritime threats in this important body of water."

For the early detection of maritime threats and to coordinate response, Singapore has also set up the Information Fusion Centre at the Changi Command and Control Centre...

Fyi, the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) was only inauguration on 27 Apr 2009 and houses various information-sharing systems such as the Western Pacific Naval Symposium (WPNS) Regional Maritime Information Exchange, Malacca Straits Patrols' Information System and sense-making systems to fuse and analyse maritime information. Apart from bringing these different systems under the same roof, the IFC works closely with other established information-sharing centres, such as the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships Information Sharing Centre for a more comprehensive coverage of the maritime domain. Here's a link to a video on the IFC.

Martime blogger EagleSpeak has a post on this warning too and thanks to the structure set up due to the Malacca Strait patrols, I would expect a regional response with all parties raising their alert and patrol levels in unison.

 

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Singapore raises security alert after Malacca threat

Mar 5, 2010 - (Reuters) - Malaysia and Indonesia said on Thursday they are stepping up security in the Strait of Malacca, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, following the Singapore navy's warning of possible attacks on oil tankers.

...The Singapore navy "has received indication a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Strait," the Singapore Shipping Association said in an advisory. "The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that it remains a viable group." It did not name a group or say where the intelligence came from.

Malaysia's coast guard said it was increasing security measures in the narrow waterway that tankers use to carry oil from the Middle East to Japan and China. Indonesia is intensifying patrols there, Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro told Reuters. "We will increase the security and step up patrols in that area. Oil tankers can pass, but we will increase our readiness."

The 900-km long (550 miles) Malacca Strait links Asia with the Middle East and Europe, carrying about 40 percent of the world's trade. More than 50,000 merchant ships ply the waterway every year...

"Maritime attacks offer terrorists an alternate means of causing mass economic destabilization," terrorism risk analyst Peter Chalk said in a RAND report on piracy and maritime terrorism. "Disrupting the mechanics of the global 'just enough, just in time' cargo freight trading system could potentially trigger vast and cascading fiscal effects, especially if the operations of a major commercial port were curtailed," Chalk said.

The Singapore Shipping Association said the navy warning did not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels besides tankers. Singapore's Ministry of Defense declined to comment. The Malacca Strait has long been infested with pirates, but a terrorist attack has been seen as a more recent threat, possibly from groups affiliated with al Qaeda. Indonesia said on Wednesday it had detained 13 suspects from a group taking part in an Islamic militant training camp in its province of Aceh, at the northern end of the strait.

A Thai naval attache in Singapore said the original warning came from Japan, which informed the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) that ships in the Strait could be hijacked. IMB spokesman Noel Choong said it had received the information from a foreign government agency.

"It is a terror threat," Kuala Lumpur-based Choong said when asked whether it was a terror threat or piracy...

NO INSURANCE IMPACT

An attack by either a terror group or pirates would almost certainly raise insurance costs for ship-owners. But experts saw no immediate impact from the warning.

"At the moment, there is no story for underwriters," Neil Roberts, secretary of the Joint War Committee at Lloyd's Market Association (LMA). "There is no reason to meet at this stage. In the short term, there is no effect. Trade continues as normal." Middle East crude accounts for 90 percent of Japan's imports, while up to 80 percent of China's oil imports and 30 percent of its iron ore imports pass through the Strait of Malacca. Any attack could also have a big impact on shipments of some major commodities from Sumatra. The island is a key producer for palm oil, rubber and coffee.

"Are people going to avoid the straits? I would be stunned if they did," said energy consultant John Vautrain of Purvin and Gertz in Singapore. "If you have to take additional security measures, you take them. That is less difficult than by-passing Malacca." A spokeswoman for Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd, the country's second-biggest shipping firm, said the warning would not cause it to change operations. "I don't think we would change the route. Basically the area is dangerous, so we have been taking precautions."

Shipping presents a soft target, particularly after global airline security was massively tightened following al Qaeda's use of hijacked planes as flying suicide bombs in its attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon in September 2001...

...But analysts say fears that terrorists could detonate ships carrying crude oil or liquefied natural gas (LNG) are overdone. Crude is not very flammable and LNG carriers are robustly constructed and include significant safety features. They might be easy to board, but not to quickly convert into a weapon...

Malaysia announced that they have stepped up patrols and the details are below (Note: link for 1st story below is no longer available at source):

Airplanes, patrol boats deployed

Mar 06, 2010 - MALAYSIA, KUALA LUMPUR: Police have assigned seven patrol boats and two airplanes to patrol the Straits of Malacca. Marine Operation Force commander Datuk Isa Munir said four boats were deployed in southern area of the straits and three up north.

"The PX and PA boats each carries 17 and 8 men respectively. The boats are equipped with 20mm cannons. "Our men are on high alert. We will stop and inspect any suspicious small craft near the hotspots areas."

Police Air Wing commander Datuk Chuah Ghee Lye said two Beechcraft King Air 350 airplanes would carry out air surveillance over the straits. Operating out from the Sungai Besi Airbase, Chuah said the pilots would coordinate with the Marine Department to check on suspicious vessels.

Indonesian also announced that they have stepped up patrols:

Indonesia alert over possible terror in Malacca strait

6 March 2010 - ...In response to the warning, Indonesian Navy`s spokesperson, commodore Herry Setia Negara, said the navy had intensified its surveillance in the Malacca Strait through trilateral patrols with the Malaysian and Singaporean navies. "The tight security will prevent terror attacks from happening in the 500-mile-long strait," he said.

Information from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said piracy in the Southeast Asian region had decreased by 70 percent due to the implementation of the joint patrol between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in the Malacca strait since 2004.

"This regional cooperation is a good example of how the three countries are working together to tackle terror attempts," said IMB representative. Meanwhile, the chief of main naval base in Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands, - the closest area to Malacca strait - , Commodore SM Dorojatun, called on people not to panic over the news since the Indonesian Navy would increase its patrols on the sea to prevent terror acts from happening. "We are alerted and concentrated to tackle this issue," he added.

Up till now, there are 12-15 Indonesian Navy ships placed in the Malacca strait starting from Sabang to Natuna area. The ships` operation will be maximized to mitigate possible terror acts in the Malacca strait. The chief of Riau Islands water police, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Yassin Kosasih, had also confirmed the recent terror alert from Singapore`s navy. Yassin said he had sent four personnel from the anti-terror squad, six security personnel using cars and 21 water police to conduct regular patrols in the Malacca strait area. "The anti-terror squad team also includes several snipers," he said...

Good to see reports of a coordinated response by both Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore. However there are some potential commercial consequences (Note: link for 3rd story below is no longer available at source):

Terrorist threat in Straits of Malacca 'may push insurance rates up'

2010/03/06 - KUALA LUMPUR: It's a case of damned if you do and damned if you don't. The littoral states, by going public over the terrorist threat in the Straits of Malacca, may be playing into the hands of the terrorists by creating fear and panic in the shipping industry.

Still, maintaining silence could be potentially more damaging as ships could then be caught unawares in the event of an attack. Former Maritime Institute of Malaysia (Mima) director-general Datuk Cheah Kong Wai said Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore were caught in something of a Catch-22 situation. "The kind of publicity being generated now is exactly what the terrorists want," who retired last year after nine years at Mima. He added that it would have been better if the littoral states had got together and addressed the issue instead of going public.

Cheah said the report of a possible terrorist attack could cause insurance rates to rise. That, he said, was what happened before, when the straits was classified as a piracy hotspot. "Insurance rates crept up then," he said. Cheah added that should the worst happen and an attack actually occurs, questions will be raised as to whether or not the littoral states are able to police the straits.

Shipping Association Malaysia vice-chairman Simon P. Whitelaw declined to comment except to say that any warning should be taken very seriously. Westports executive chairman Tan Sri G. Gnanalingam said he didn't expect a reduction in traffic at the straits because of the intensification of security there. "It's good that the warnings have come because it means surveillance has increased," he said.

I disagree with Datuk Cheah Kong Wai as I'm of the view the safety should not be sacrificed for commercial considerations. As said in the Reuters report, if the increased patrols and warning are able to deter an attack, it may not mean an increase insurance rates.

 

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1. Right now, I am viewing this development with some concern. This is because, its not a piracy or robbery threat. Rather it is a terrorism threat and this sort of threat in this area presents some unique challenges that I would like to discuss below:

(i) There is a precedent for maritime terrorism against a tanker and the attack in 2002 resembled the earlier suicide bombing attack on USS Cole in October 2000 (click to read BBC's report on the 2002 terrorist incident). On 6 October 2002, the MV Limburg carrying crude oil from Iran to Malaysia was hit by an attack while it was in the Gulf of Aden (off Yemen). The MV Limburg is registered under a French-flag and was then chartered by the Malaysian firm, Petronas. While the MV Limburg was some miles offshore, an explosives-laden dinghy rammed the starboard side of the tanker and detonated breaching the double hull of the tanker. As a result, the tanker caught on fire and spilled 90,000 barrels of oil into the Gulf of Aden. According to the US State Department, the attack on MV Limburg cost Yemen about US$3.8 million a month in lost business and extra insurance premiums. A successful terrorist attack at the Strait of Malacca will have much, much bigger financial implications.

(ii) Maritime terrorists do not seek sea control or sea denial. Rather, they seek to disrupt with strikes at sea, which makes them particularly hard to defend against. To bypass the Strait of Malacca, a ship would have to travel an extra 1,600 km (994 miles). Further, narrow channels (the narrowest point measures less than 1.7 miles) and slow traffic with some 900 commercial vessels passing through each day create conditions of unique vulnerability for the tankers (click here for info on oil transit choke points).

(iii) Pirate techniques to board ships are within the capabilities of today’s terrorists but the risk is not only that terrorists would just attempt to board the tanker, rather, it the risk is of a suicide attack. Even if the regional authorities station armed personnel on all tankers transiting (that's not possible to do on a sustained basis, with 10 to 15 million barrels a day of oil passing through) and deter boarding or ramming, the terrorists on an explosive laden small boat would also have the option of ramming the next large vessel beside their targeted tanker.​

2. Tankers cruising at sea with normal watch alert as they pass through the Strait of Malacca is no longer sufficient under the present threat environment. Questions about early threat classification and Rules of Engagement (ROEs) against seemingly innocuous boats bobbing now confront the maritime authorities as well as captains of civilian vessels with private security teams aboard. While some of the measures taken are not in the public domain, it is known that the Singapore Navy formed a Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) in February 2009 - video below has more details:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2DWEE7iAeg]MSTF @ EXERCISE APEX[/ame]

The MSTF streamlines Singapore's reaction to maritime security situations by coordinating the deployment of assets assets beyond the navy and the SAF and can also muster assets of home agencies such as the Police Coast Guard, the Maritime Port Authority, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and the Singapore Customs.

3. IMO, the MSTF has to focus on how to counter small boat threats. To do that effectively, it is necessary to piece together a comprehensive operational picture by collating information gathered by national agencies, international partners and the shipping community. To that end, the MSTF comprises three groups:

(i) The Comprehensive Maritime Awareness Group, which pieces together a comprehensive operational picture by collating information gathered by national agencies, international partners and the shipping community.

(ii) The Operations Group plans and executes operations using an integrated approach that makes the best allocation of available resources.

(iii) The Inter-Agency Coordination Group ensures seamless coordination in the execution of the national-level operations.​

4. For an idea of the training undertaken by the Police Coast Guard (PCG), here's a video on their use of simulators:
[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KewcDevgmAk]PCG's New Training Simulator[/ame]

While there is no guarantee that authorities will be able to deter every threat, the organization exists and the various functions are resourced. In fact, quite a bit of equipment has been bought to mitigate risk.

 

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12 March 2009 - Bernama reported that on 11 March 2009, a group of men brandishing knives, robbed a chemical tanker, SP Athens (stealing some engine spare parts before leaving the ship), that was anchored off south Tanjung Ayam, Malaysia. Despite the recent terrorism alert, robbers are evidently still active in the vicinity of Tanjung Ayam, Malaysia. This is the second incident reported in the vicinity of Tanjung Ayam which last occurred on 13 February 2010, where five robbers boarded the container vessel, Theodor Storm.

In other news, on the 6 February 2010, there was also a hijacking of a Singapore registered tug boat along with the towed barge in the South China Sea (off Tioman, Malaysia). In this case, thanks to the combined efforts of too many authorities and people (including crews on other ships who spotted and reported the positions) to list, the barge, Astra (which by then had been renamed Roxy-I), was recovered by the Philippine Coast Guard. Earlier, the crew of the hijacked boat was found by the Malaysian authorities in a life-boat. The modus operandi is similar to another incident that occurred April 2009, however, in that incident, the hijacked tug boat (Prospaq T1) and barge (Prospaq B1) were never found.

I think we just dodged a bullet as the Tanjung Ayam sea robbers/pirates are not terrorists. If documented instances of tugboat hijackings are not enough, a documented incident of boarding a chemical tanker should be a wake-up call. The merchant community operating in this area need to step-up and be a little more alert at this time due to the recent Information Fusion Centre terrorism warning.

If I'm not wrong, at any one time, the Malaysians have not less than 3 naval vessels on patrol in the Malacca Strait, 7 vessels on patrol along the waters of Sabah (and the Sulu Seas), improved their sea surveillance system and they also conduct coordinated daily flights to monitor the situation from the sky. So there's a limit to what can be done. IMO, the local authorities will also need the help of the the merchant community to keep an eye out in this case.