According to a Philippine Coast Guard briefing paper prepared for the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation High Level meeting at the New World Hotel in Makati City, one of the factors that contributed to the security concern for vessels moving in and around the country is the continuing global threat of terrorism and terror incidents in the domestic front.
The Coast Guard said the March 4 bombing of the Davao International Airport and a similar incident April 2 at the passenger terminal of the Sasa Wharf in the same city could be considered as a "prelude to a similar attack" on Philippine vessels.
"The atrocities might be made to inflict damage on vessels to affect the smooth flow of goods and services. Perhaps our biggest worries are terrorism and piracy and armed robbery against ships," the paper noted.
The al-Qaeda terrorist network of Osama bin Laden has also threatened to attack the southeast Asian region’s shipping industry as part of its plan to cripple the world economy.
For the first six months of the year, the International Maritime Bureau reported that the entire shipping industry was hit with 234 attacks, a significant increase from the 171 incidents recorded during the same period last year.
In the same period this year, the PCG noted that pirate attacks worldwide hit record numbers and more seafarers were either killed or injured particularly in the waters of Indonesia and Bangladesh.
The PCG report also indicated that the bandits are now using more sophisticated weapons such as guns in staging their attacks in contrast to the old practice of using predominantly bladed weapons.
There were 53 attacks on vessels using guns reported this year compared to 31 in the first half of 2002.
A total of 16 seafarers were killed in attacks, mostly in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Indonesia, close to three times the six casualties reported during the same period last year.
The number of injuries, on the other hand, went up from 21 to 52 while incidents of crew members taken hostage reached 193.
"The waters between the Philippines and Indonesia have been the scenes of piracy cases, the latest of which were the piracy attempts on a tugboat escorting a survey ship in Celebes Sea, south of Tawi-Tawi in July and a cargo ship in April 2003," the report said.
However, alert crewmen in both cases took evasive maneuvers forcing pirates to give up the chase.
In response to the rise in attacks against vessels, the Coast Guard said that it has set up a monitoring system to improve security in ports and aboard ships.
The Coast Guard is also coordinating with the Masters and Mates Association of the Philippines, the Marine Engineer Officers’ Association of the Philippines, and other private groups to get information on targeted vessels.
Intensified data gathering on ship and port activities is likewise being undertaken as part of the PCG’s monitoring program.
The PCG also reported that it will be entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Korea National Maritime Police Agency in November this year.
The agreement calls for exchange of training pertaining to maritime law enforcers between officers and personnel of KNMPA and PCG; enhancement cooperation between the two agencies that would result in the implementation of more effective countermeasures against piracy and illicit trafficking of drugs and firearms, and the establishment of mutual contact points through e-mail and regular mail to facilitate communication and coordination.