Society
Hijackings of ships to increase
By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-03-20 08:32
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Transport officials warn vessel crews to prepare for more pirate attacks
BEIJING - More pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia is a possibility in the coming months, China's water transport authority warned on Friday.
Liu Gongchen, safety supervisor of the Ministry of Transport, urged shipping companies to equip ocean-bound merchant vessels with self-defense devices to fend off possible piracy attacks.
He warned that piracy attacks are likely to rise in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia from now to May.
Liu said with the summer monsoon approaching the Somali waters, conditions will be favorable for pirates from mid-March to May, adding that October to December is another period that witnesses active piracy for similar reasons.
As a great majority of China's imported crude oil, iron ore and steel are shipped through the pirate-haunted Strait of Malacca and the waters off Somalia, the country is attaching greater attention to the anti-pirate mission.
Earlier this month, Chinese navy sent its fifth flotilla on escort duties in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia.
Now the ministry, responsible for anti-pirate liaison, command and coordination, is making the anti-pirate mission its main priority, Liu said.
"We will issue warnings, train sailors, give shipping companies anti-pirate guidance and promote self-defense equipment on ships," he said.
"But the kind of self-defense devices that can be carried by merchant ships and ways to manage them are still under study," he said.
Cao Desheng, deputy director of the ministry's water transport bureau, said the defense devices under discussion will not be lethal, as no firearms are allowed on board.
"Carriage of arms on merchant ships may encourage attackers to carry more dangerous weapons, thereby escalating the current situation," he said.
"But the defense devices should be powerful enough to stop pirates from boarding the ship and as a better result, reach a stalemate for half an hour."
Zhuo Li, deputy director of the general operation office of China Maritime Search and Rescue Center, said generally, the attacked ship that can reach an impasse with pirates for at least 20 minutes will have a better chance to be rescued by helicopters or warships patrolling the waters.
"Devices that produce strong sound waves or smoke could be a good way to achieve the purpose," he said.
Currently, all merchant ships have emergency plans to handle pirate attacks. When a ship enters a hazardous area, sailors usually prepare water torches on the deck and observe the conditions of the waters round the clock, he said.
The bureau now requires shipping companies to strengthen anti-pirate drills, with at least one every three months, Cao said.
Xing Yucang, a director in charge of anti-pirate matters with the China Ocean Shipping Companies Group, told China Daily that they have come up with innovative ideas, such as pouring gasoline into empty beer bottles to make a "fire bomb" in case of an attack.
These devices require the use of existing materials on ships, and have proven effective during drills, he said.
According to the International Maritime Bureau, 1,782 piracy attacks were recorded worldwide from 2003 to 2008, 71 percent of which occurred in Africa and Southeast Asia.
The number increased by nearly 40 percent in 2009, with Somali pirates accounting for more than half of the 406 reported incidents.
Pirates have hijacked at least five ships from China, including two from Hong Kong and two from Taiwan in the past year. In addition, pirates attacked more than 10 other Chinese ships.
China Daily
