Foreign and Military Affairs

Pirate attacks prompt tighter security

By Bao Daozu (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-11-26 07:09

BEIJING - China is taking part in more international anti-piracy alliances following a series of pirate attacks on Chinese ships earlier this month.

A joint anti-piracy drill, designed to improve information sharing among the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong along with Japan, South Korea, the Netherlands and Norway, started on Tuesday.

In the drill, the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center and its counterparts tried to convey information about a simulated pirate attack, and to warn their own ships to remain alert when sailing in the area, an official with the center, who refused to be identified, said on Thursday.

The drill was organized by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia, the first regional government-to-government agreement on countermeasures for piracy and armed robbery, which came into effect in September 2006.

Meanwhile, maritime officials from China and seven ASEAN countries exchanged the latest information and discussed proposals for cooperation at a two-day symposium that ended on Wednesday.

The representatives agreed to strengthen cooperation in information sharing and anti-piracy training.

These moves came after a series of pirate attacks on Chinese ships in the past two weeks.

On Nov 12, a ship with 29 crew members, all Chinese nationals, was hijacked in the Arabian Sea off the Chinese navy escort area. The Yuan Xiang, which was registered in Panama, could not be traced after the hijackers said the vessel would head for Somalia.

On Nov 18, pirates attacked a Chinese cargo ship, the Lecong, in the northern Indian Ocean. One of the 26 crew members was injured during a battle with the pirates, but all are now safe.

Just two days later, pirates attacked another Chinese ship, the Tai'ankou, in the Arabian Sea near Oman. All 21 crew members hid in a safety compartment for more than 10 hours until Chinese warships arrived the next day to escort them to safety.

The string of pirate attacks has prompted shipping companies to take their strongest measures yet.

Xia Zhenming, deputy general manager of Nanjing Ocean Shipping Co Ltd, said that all the company's ships now have crew watching for pirates around the clock.

Other measures taken include the installation of an electrified net around the vessels and the addition of a safety compartment. In the special compartment, the crew members can stay connected with the outside by wireless devices and are provided with supplies of food and water, he said.

The company also required its vessels to turn off their navigation and positioning systems and black out lights when passing through dangerous areas such as the Gulf of Aden to try to prevent pirates tracing the ships.

Cui Jiaguo, deputy manager of the transportation department of Sinotrans, one of China's largest shippers, said: "Chinese warship escorts have greatly helped us and we hope the navy will increase its support."

Since Dec 26, 2008, seven groups of Chinese warships have been dispatched to the Gulf of Aden and have escorted more than 2,800 cargo ships from China and abroad.

The latest batch of three warships left earlier this month, with 780 personnel on board, including more than 10 members of special forces and 25 women responsible for medical care, psychological consultation and communications.

Tan Zongyang contributed to this story.

China Daily

(China Daily 11/26/2010 page4)