MARITIME SECURITY IN THE MALACCA STRAITS: An Overview of the Challenges

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MARITIME SECURITY IN THE MALACCA STRAITSAn
Overview of the Challenges

• Catherine Zara Raymond

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Introduction

• In the aftermath of 9/11, vulnerabilities in the
  maritime sector became of great concern.
• This was particularly the case in Southeast Asia,
  home to one of the worlds most strategically
  important waterways the Malacca Straits and the
  worlds second largest port Singapore.
• In addition, both piracy and terrorism are known
  to be a threat in the region.

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A Piracy Hotspot

• Pirate attacks Jan-Sept 2006 (Source IMB)

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Type of Actual Attacks
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Equipment

• Guns have increasingly appeared alongside knives
  during attacks.

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Maritime terrorism The Groups

• Abu Sayyaf Group
• Moro Islamic Liberation
• Front
• Jemaah Islamiyah

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The Scenarios

• Scenario 1 Ship Sunk to Block the
• Straits of Malacca
• Straits Times Newspaper in 2004 If terrorists
  want to mount a maritime strike here Southeast
  Asia, sinking a ship in the Malacca Straits is
  the likely attack of choice.
• It would enable them to wreak economic havoc
  worldwide by blocking the sea lane, and is also
  the easiest way to attack.

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• Scenario 2 Tanker as Floating Bomb to Strike
  Ports
• LNG, crude oil,
• petroleum products,
• chemical products.
• All have a potentially
• great destructive
• capacity.
• Harnessing this
• capability would be
• challenging.

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• Scenario 3 Malacca Straits Blocked by Mines
• Could terrorists claim to have mined the Straits
  and simulate a mine attack on a ship to add
  credibility to their claims?
• Impact
• The Malacca Straits would be closed to shipping
  traffic, forcing the vessels to reroute around
  the Lombok and Sunda Straits.
• This would cause severe delays on shipping as
  these alternate routes are longer.

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Scenario 4 Small boat attack

• Simple, easily obtainable equipment?
• Used before by Al-Qaeda
• Limburg 2002 USS Cole 2000

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Terrorism-piracy nexus?

• Could terrorists
• exploit the maritime
• knowledge and
• expertise of the pirates in order to carry out a
  
• devastating attack on
• regional shipping?

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Conclusions

• It is only through an accurate understanding of
  piracy and maritime terrorism that we can tailor
  our countermeasures to effectively combat them.

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• Thank you