6th shipping
Tankers in Malacca Strait on
terrorists’ gunsights, warns Singapore
An unidentified terrorist group
is planning attacks on tankers in the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s
busiest shipping lanes, Singapore warned.
The Singapore Shipping
Association (SSA) said it had received an advisory from the Singapore Navy
Information Fusion Centre about "an indication that a terrorist group was
planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Strait".
It elaborated that this does not
preclude possible attacks on other large vessels carrying inflammable cargo.
It warned shipping operators that
the terrorists may use smaller vessels such as dinghies and speedboats to attack
oil tankers, like the Somali pirates do.
Pirates and robbers have also
used small fishing vessels to board ships during previous attacks in the Malacca
Strait, the navy pointed out.
Security analysts have warned
that the Malacca Strait, bordered by Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia, had
become a prime target because more than 30 per cent of global trade and half of
the world’s oil shipments pass through this narrow waterway.
Singapore, one of Asia’s most
affluent cities and a regional base for thousands of multinational companies,
had become a prime target for attacks by terrorist groups, officials have said.
One of the plots foiled by
Singapore authorities was a plan by Islamic terrorists to hijack an airliner in
Bangkok and crash it into Changi airport in 2001 following the 9/11 attacks in
the US.
"If the Singapore Navy is
providing this information, it should be taken very seriously," said Mr
John Harrison, a maritime security expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of
International Studies, here.
A "warning" refers to a
credible threat that an attack is likely to be carried out against a target over
a specific time-frame, while an "indication" is gathered from a series
of suspicious activities in a certain area.
While the navy did not name any
group, Mr Harrison said South-East Asia-based militant group or Al Qaeda network
could not be ruled out.
Mr Isa Munir, a top Malaysian
marine police officer, said the authorities had received information that
"Islamic activists were trying to do some havoc" in the Malacca
Strait.
While the threat "is not
specific", Malaysia was taking it seriously, said Mr Isa, the marine police
operations Force Commander.
"We have stepped up sea
patrols and air surveillance. We advise ships to ply close to Malaysian waters.
If they are in waters, then we can provide security and ensure their
safety," Mr Isa said in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia had already deployed two
aircraft, he pointed out.
In its advisory, the Singapore Navy urged ships
to "strengthen their onboard security measures and to adopt community
reporting to increase awareness and strengthen the safety of all
seafarers," according to SSA.
Source : Exim News Service -
Singapore, March 9
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