Installation of panic buttons on board vessels transiting piracy-infested Malacca Strait and neighboring waters could be one of the steps that would enable navies to boost their efficiency in responding to pirate attacks, according to a Thai Navy admiral.
Namely, by installing the panic buttons shipowners would enable crews to give out their exact location when sounding the alarm and thus naval resources could be rushed to the scene more quickly.
The proposal was made within the framework of the 27th Malacca Strait Patrol Joint Coordinating Committee meeting of Thai, Indonesian, Malaysian and Singaporean navies held on April 21st in Phuket.
The aim of the meeting was to boost security efforts in the region so as to ensure safe passage of cargo ships.
“ This is an international drive to improve security and confidence for users of the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s most important seaways,” Rear Admiral Chaiyanun Nuntawit from Royal Thai Navy Intelligence is quoted by the Phuket news as saying.
According to the Admiral, the joint efforts of the navies have already reaped fruit with the shift of pirate activities toward the east. However, this does not mean that the threat is gone, he said.
Over 400 pirate attacks have been recorded in the Strait by the International Maritime Bureau between 2009 and 2013. Of these, 288 took place in Indonesian waters.
World Maritime News Staff