Extract
Countering Piracy on the High Seas.
Piracy is a growing problem. According to the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau, reported attacks in 2000 were 57 per cent more frequent than in 1999, for a total of 469 either at sea, at anchor, or in port. They were nearly four and a half times those reported in 1991; and many attacks are probably not reported. Moreover, some of the 2000 reports have not yet been made.
Major naval auxiliaries, such as cargo ships, are clearly as much at risk as are unarmed merchant ships. The rise in piracy probably helps account for a rise in the number of coast guard forces, distinct from the associated navies, to act as maritime police. The main areas involved are Indonesia (with 119 incidents, in which 86 ships were boarded and two were hijacked; attempts were made on another 31 ships), the Malacca Straits (75 incidents, up from 2 in 1999), Bangladesh (55 attacks, up from 25 in 1999), India (35 incidents, up from 14 in 19...See the full content of this document
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