Patrols stepped up over threat to Malacca Strait shipping

Clivebenss SG

AFP - Friday, March 5

SINGAPORE (AFP) - – Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia have increased patrols in the Malacca Strait after Singapore warned that a terrorist group was planning attacks on the waterway, officials said Thursday.

Maritime authorities said they had warned ships plying the Malacca Strait and Singapore straits to take precautions after Singapore warned of a threat to attack oil tankers and other vessels in the strategic lane.

"Indonesia will step up security in the Malacca Strait. We'll not only send more personnel there, but those with expertise," Sagom Tamboen, a spokesman for Indonesia's military told AFP in Jakarta.

"We'll be coordinating with Malaysia and Singapore. We'll increase vigilance and also anticipate possibilities of attacks and share any information," he added.

Isa Munir, a top Malaysian marine police offer, said the authorities had received information on Sunday 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 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 Malaysian waters, then we can provide security and ensure their safety," Isa told AFP in Kuala Lumpur.

"Yesterday, we deployed two aircraft."

Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia already carry out joint anti-piracy patrols in the area.

The Singapore Shipping Association said in an advisory to members seen by AFP it had been alerted by the Singapore Navy about "an indication that a terrorist group is planning attacks on oil tankers in the Malacca Strait."

It said "this does not preclude possible attacks on other large vessels with dangerous cargo."

"The terrorists' intent is probably to achieve widespread publicity and showcase that it remains a viable group," the navy said in its advisory.

Noel Choong, head of the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, said the threat covered both the Malacca and Singapore straits.

He said the maritime watchdog had received information about the threat two days ago from a "foreign government agency" which it did not identify.

"We passed this information to the relevant authorities in Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia... We do not know what is the level of threat," he told AFP.

"In view of the current threat, we advise ships to maintain a 24-hour lookout when passing through the Malacca Strait and the Singapore Strait."

The Singapore Navy warned shipping operators that the militants could use small vessels such as dinghies and speedboats to attack oil tankers, emulating attacks by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa.

Pirates and robbers have also used small fishing vessels to board ships during previous attacks in the Malacca Strait, the navy said.

Analysts have said that the Malacca Strait is a prime target because more than 30 percent of global trade and half the world's oil shipments pass through the narrow waterway.

"If the Singapore Navy is providing this information, it should be taken very seriously," said John Harrison, a maritime security expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore.

"Certainly, we do know that there has been a long-term concern about terrorism in the Malacca Strait but the threat level remains fairly low," Harrison told AFP.

"That said, it was very prudent for the Singapore Navy to pass this warning along because it keeps the threat level where it is."

While the navy did not name any group, Harrison said the Southeast Asia-based Jemaah Islamiyah militant group or Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network could not be ruled out.

"JI would certainly be one of the groups. We have not seen any public evidence indicating they have the capability to operate but that does not mean they are not developing them," he said.