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| Southeast Asia |
| Indonesian pirate attacks prompt oil ship terrorist warnings |
| 2004-11-15 |
| Armed pirates hit Indonesia oil port three times in a week, attacks may be linked to terrorism. (From Friday but may not have ben covered) Armed pirates have struck three times in a week at one of Indonesia's main oil exporting ports, prompting the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) to issue a strong warning to shipping in the area. The ocean crime watchdog said Friday that an oil tanker, a bulk carrier and a container ship were targeted at Balikpapan, with one of the attacks resulting in a crew member being taken hostage. The latest attacks came as Asian governments tried to step up action to counter growing violence at sea amid concerns that some incidents could have links to global terrorism. Some security experts say there is growing evidence linking ship piracy and terrorism, and they warn that radical Islamist groups could attack an oil tanker, port, or strategic waterway like the Malacca Straits with severe consequences. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #12 This maybe true, but I cant imagine Indonesia letting in US forces anywhere near Indonesia - there are still bad memories from the Suharto-era. Are you kidding? The new Head of State - former General Yudhoyono - is a graduate of the US Army Command and General Staff College, as well as the US Airborne and Ranger schools - and holds a Masters Degree from Webster University. Regionally, his ties to the American military are probably second only those of former Philippines President Fidel Ramos - who graduated from West Point. Now, with that said, President Yudhoyono must still play to his domestic constituency - and he is unlikely to be inclined to play the lackey. But - the US has its best chance in years to work closely with the Indonesian government. |
| Posted by: Lone Ranger 2004-11-15 9:31:27 PM |
| #11 BTW, previous is an example of what I mean by context (as distinct from analysis). |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-11-15 3:27:49 PM |
| #10 I happen to be researching, blocking the Malacca/Singapore Straits and other potential threats. Zenster is right that sinking a single supertanker in the right place would block the strait in one direction (and in practice in both directions because eastbound fully laden supertankers can't use the westbound channel. Its too shallow). There isn't enough surplus shipping to compensate for the extra time required to take alternate routes (Sunda strait) and other problems, e.g. a supertanker once it enters the strait (about 200 miles) can't turn around. All in all it would be an economically hugely disruptive event. Certainly causing a global recession. Otherwise, the Indons would probably welcome blocking the strait as the only alternate routes are wholly in their territorial waters. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-11-15 2:50:03 PM |
| #9 Wonder how the Indonesians and Malaysians feel about the Indian Navy augmenting their efforts? Re LNG tankers, I think the greater threat, assuming the jihadists have some clever economists in their ranks, would be the jihadists creating so much fear uncertainty and doubt regarding the contents of container cargo arriving at US ports that we would be forced to inspect many or most containers manually. This would undo the massive productivity gains made possible by just-in-time, automated loading of containers, perhaps shaving as much as one percentage point off of US GDP growth. A far bigger hit to our economy than 9/11. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-15 1:43:40 PM |
| #8 "At some point, the overall piracy and terrorism threat is going to null out their objections." This maybe true, but I cant imagine Indonesia letting in US forces anywhere near Indonesia - there are still bad memories from the Suharto-era. Only a major attack would force the Indon Gov't to face up to the problem and ask for foreign western assistance. |
| Posted by: QWERTY 2004-11-15 1:40:41 PM |
| #7 Phil I'm pretty ignorant of such matters but I still find scenarios where LNG tankers don't explode credible. Every safe docking and delivery to me is a seeming miracle. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-11-15 1:22:38 PM |
| #6 I've looked into this and there is no credible scenario where an LPG tanker could explode. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2004-11-15 1:07:34 PM |
| #5 This topic has already been covered a few times here at Rantburg. Indonesia and Malaysia both regard any American augmenting of their naval elements as a threat to their national sovereignty. At some point, the overall piracy and terrorism threat is going to null out their objections. Merely sinking a single supertanker in the Malacca Straits could heavily damage the entire East Asian economic sphere. There have already been incidents where pirates commandeered a large maritime vessle only to "practice" piloting the helm for several hours before abandoning it. A single hijacked liquified natural gas supertanker could yield the same explosive equivalent of a small nuclear device. Southeast Asia's protestations vis sovereignty cannot be permitted to override security concerns for the entire region. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2004-11-15 12:35:24 PM |
| #4 Who has primary responsibility for combatting piracy on the high seas? My understanding is that it's a huge problem in Asia. And potentially even larger. Obviously, at some point the jihadists will figure out how to use it to their advantage. |
| Posted by: lex 2004-11-15 12:05:26 PM |
| #3 Sounds like Indonesian naval personnel are free-lancing again. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2004-11-15 11:50:42 AM |
| #2 Am I reading this correctly? These attacks occurred in-port? |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-11-15 10:59:50 AM |
| #1 A few surplus Mark-I .50's should take care of this crap... |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-11-15 10:26:30 AM |