Hazardous Seas
Maritime Sector Vulnerable to Devastating Terrorist Attacks

The recent attacks on the USS Cole (DDG-67) and the French supertanker MVLimburg offer a stark illustration of terrorist interest in maritime targets. U.S. intelligence officials have identified between 12 and 300 ships possibly owned and/or operated by al Qaeda. Upon his capture, the alleged al Qaeda mastermind behind the USS Cole attack, Abdul Rahim Mohammed Hussein Abda Al-Nasheri, reportedly confessed to planning future attacks against U.S. and British warships in the Straits of Gibraltar. Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence agencies have described an increase in terrorist �chatter� regarding ships, port facilities, bridges, and SCUBA diving, reported Globalsecurity.org.

In its October 2003 terrorism report, London-based security consultants Aegis Defence Service (ADS) warned of the growing threat posed by the partnership between maritime piracy and marine terrorism.

If an explicit alliance between piracy and terrorism exists, as ADS and other intelligence officials believe, then the hijacking of merchant vessels at sea suddenly presents a daunting and multi-layered threat to global security and trade well beyond the �simple� threat of merchant piracy.

The nexus between piracy and terrorism affords terrorist groups a lucrative cash flow, access to deadly cargoes, and a means to launch spectacular attacks with the potential to wreak havoc on the global economy.

Rampant Piracy in Modern Times

The double-hulled French supertanker MVLimburg burns after being rammed by an explosives-filled speed boat off the coast of Yemen.

In 2000, the Annual Piracy Report published by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) cited more than 460 reported acts of maritime piracy - a 56 percent increase from the previous year. The majority of these attacks occurred in areas known to host terrorist groups including Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Bab al Mandab straits located at the mouth of the Red Sea. The Bab al Mandab region, along the coasts of Yemen, Somalia, and Djibouti, has experienced a 155 percent increase in maritime piracy incidents since 1998, according to a RAND Corporation study by Peter Chalk. Little government regulation, the near absence of effective naval policing capabilities, and the necessary adherence of merchant vessels to established international sea-lanes, provide a favorable environment for terrorists and pirates to operate in.

The IMB report warned that merchant vessels are most vulnerable in coastal areas while anchored outside port facilities or traversing navigation channels and coastal waterways at slow speeds. Ironically, these littoral areas are the easiest to protect since many countries ravaged by pirates primarily maintain shallow water navies. Still, many foreign governments are unable to compete with the well-equipped pirates, who typically make use of state-of-the-art speedboats, automatic weapons, and sophisticated communication gear.

Piracy is a Lucrative Sideline for Terror Groups

Maritime piracy is attractive to terrorist groups because merchant vessels and their cargos afford an easy and highly profitable source of funding, one that skirts existing international efforts to freeze terrorist finances. Consider the hijacking of the merchant ship Juliana off the coast of Indonesia in August 2000 with a cargo of 1,993 tons of steel sheets, worth approximately $50 million. The Juliana eluded authorities for months with false names, forged registrations, and new paintjobs. The ship was recovered only when the pirate crew dramatically undervalued the cargo while passing through customs off Thailand�s Ko Si Chang Island to unload the freight to a buyer. Some experts, including Sam Vaknin - author of Treasure Island Revisited - On Maritime Piracy, (United Press International, 2002) estimate the total dollar value of cargo lost per hijacked ship is between $8 million and $200 million.

Crewmembers and the merchant vessels themselves are another source of profit. Ransom money, paid for the release of merchant crews, averages $350,000-$500,000 while hijacked ships, which are usually repainted, renamed and re-flagged, become �ghost ships.�

�Ghost ships� have become pandemic. In some countries, up to 80 percent of maritime certificates were found to be fraudulent or questionable, according to a November 17, 2003 report by The Straits Times. Poor government intervention, corrupt customs officials, and weak shore-side surveillance and intelligence capabilities contribute to the anarchy of the maritime environment.