The Nation (Thailand)
25 November 2014
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Piracy and Fuel Theft in Southeast Asia are Syphoning Confidence
Piracy and Fuel Theft in Southeast Asia are Syphoning Confidence
But while the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) reports a year-on-year “surge” in first-half incidents, from 61 in 2013 to 90 in 2014, many of these involved petty theft. Failure to differentiate serious attacks from relatively minor incidents commonly overstates the threat. However, perceptions matter where confidence is concerned.
ReCAAP’s third-quarter report reveals a marked overall improvement since July. Incidents dropped to 39, from 58 in the April-June period. Predations in Indonesian ports and anchorages have fallen continuously throughout 2014. Most serious incidents involve illegal fuel syphoning in the Straits of Malacca and South China Sea. Ten small tankers were hit between April and September.
…Euan Graham is a senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
RSIS / IDSS / GPO / Online
