Japanese anti-piracy initiative

Details of Japan’s drastic new proposals for maritime security measures in areas at risk from piracy and terrorism will be announced at the forthcoming IMO seminar on “Maritime Security Measures for Non-SOLAS Vessels” to be held on 10 May, 2005. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore and the United States Coast Guard will also express their views on this issue along with other maritime leaders.

The Japanese government maintains that spending by shipping companies on countermeasures against piracy have increased to the point where the matter can no longer be disregarded while it is also clear that the coast guards and navies around the world cannot guarantee to defend ships, their cargoes and the lives of crew members. This has resulted in certain organisations insisting that traffic charges should be collected from all ships that pass through the Malacca Strait as well as the Panama and Suez Canals, and that a ‘Malacca Strait Security Fund’ should be established using these traffic charges to eliminate piracy.

The Japanese government believes it is premature to implement such a move and that, instead, more short-term measures with immediate effects are necessary. They say that consideration should be given to the establishment of an international registration system for small vessels, including fishing boats, in areas at risk from piracy and terrorism. They believe that the potential risk of small boats being used in unlawful acts by pirates or terrorists now presents clear grounds for establishing an international registration scheme. They are also planning to include mandatory requirements for downscaled Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) onboard small vessels in their new scheme.

If these proposals are implemented, the policing powers of the coastal states can be used more effectively to apprehend suspicious vessels. However, there are many problems that need to be resolved in order to establish this system and it would be necessary to revise the SOLAS Convention. In addition, international cooperation will be important to aid developing countries in setting up and maintaining their registration systems, and to equip all ships with AIS.

The only way to resolve this issue is through a measured approach and the Japanese government hopes to exchange views with various countries and industries around the world which will lead to more effective methods being established.