Pirates
In all my research, there is one thing that continues to nag at me, that I
have not been able come to grips with. In a circumnavigation, it seems like
I'm going to end up transiting the South Pacific and South China Sea. The
frequency of Pirate attacks in the Straits of Malacca make me very uneasy.
Can any list members share their thoughts on how to deal with Pirates? Are
there any groups that organize transit of this area as a flotilla? I don't
mean to take this into a discussion of arming a vessel, but I'd sure
appreciate knowing what other skippers are considering in this regard,
Thanks,
Scott Bulger
Knot@Work, 31' Camano
Email: scottebulger@comcast.net
At 06:49 PM 12/27/04 -0800, you wrote:
I'm going to end up transiting the South Pacific and South China Sea. The
frequency of Pirate attacks in the Straits of Malacca make me very uneasy.
Can any list members share their thoughts on how to deal with Pirates? Are
By the time you get to the straits of M, things will be different than they
are now. Which is to say, that it may be a forgotten problem or it may be
worse. In any event, the countries surrounding that body of water are
putting on increased high speed patrol boats armed with machine guns and in
some cases rockets. Whatever you think you know about conditions concerning
piracy are generally out of date and this means you have to get the info
just prior to transiting any particular area. In the S of M, boats have
recently been going through in convoy, sometimes accompanied by an armed
naval craft from one of the nearby countries.
At times there are USCG and US Naval ships transiting, but not necessarily
patrolling the area. All of this is subject to change without warning.
There are several web sites devoted to this subject, some governmental and
some commercial. The US Navy has one site. I would waste very little time
on this except to search some of the web sites and bookmark them for future
reference. When within a few months of transiting an area, to visit the web
sites for current information.
The US Department of State maintains info on current risks for each country
around the world and their site is worthwhile. I always liked the 20mm
cannon that Clark Gable had in his Chinese Junk, used in one of his 1950's
era films. The gun was mounted below deck and had a sliding door that
opened to provide a gun port. Quite elegant, actually. Anything less would
seem to be bit underpowered.
Mike
Capt. Mike Maurice
Tualatin(Portland), Oregon
Please add the Red Sea to your concerns. Pleasure vessels move in convoys.
There are NATO vessels in and around the Red Sea and there is at least one
story of assistance given to a private yacht by a USN vessel. Similar story
about French assistance to French nationals. I have gained the impression
that Red Sea pirates and rogue patrol boats are not as prevalent as those in
the S of M where merchantman are the primary targets.
What Mike says is heartening. I'd rehearse with a "buddy" boat an imaginary
VHF script between the two of you (or more) with one vessel pretending to be
a "United States warship" which is how the Navy talks on VHF to "outsiders."
They do not identify themselves by name, with the possible exception of a
rescue off the coast of the US. They do not identify by name nor do they
communicate in non-emergency situations on the Chesapeake - when you can see
they. This charade is best done where you have a hope that the pirates
understand English. Some folks stay glued to their radars at night with
their lights off. No flames, please.
Ron Rogers
Willard 40 AIRBORNE
Departing Annapolis Wednesday December 29th bound for New Bern, NC
----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Bulger" scottebulger@comcast.net
| In all my research, there is one thing that continues to nag at me, that I
| have not been able come to grips with. In a circumnavigation, it seems
like
| I'm going to end up transiting the South Pacific and South China Sea. The
| frequency of Pirate attacks in the Straits of Malacca make me very uneasy.
Here is a useful link for Piracy information.
http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php
The links to maps at the bottom show that the problems have existed for
years and if anything are getting worse. The good news is the pirates in the
Malacca straits primarily attack commercial vessels, but you also need to be
careful in the Red Sea, coastal Africa and South America.
My experience is most of these countries are under equipped and unwilling to
deal with the pirates in their waters. We tried selling gun boats to some of
these countries but they were unwilling to divert resources from other
priorities. We offered to get shipping firms and their insurance companies
to underwrite a lease, but they declined. One official indicated that they
saw piracy as a form of unemployment insurance and a means of improving
their trade balance.
Regards;
Mike Schooley
Designing "Portager" a transportable passagemaker