Small chemical-carrying vessels more at risk of terrorism

May 24, 2006, 7:46 GMT

Singapore - Small vessels carrying liquid gas or chemicals through the Malacca Strait are at greater risk from a terrorist attack than are large ships, a think tank said in a published report Wednesday.

The Singapore-based Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies questioned the popular belief that large vessels are the main target of pirates.

Figures from the International Maritime Bureau showed there were 12 pirate attacks last year in the strait, one of the world's busiest waterways.

Only two were on large vessels, a bulk carrier and a chemical tanker.

Despite the apparent vulnerability of the strait, the institute's report in The Straits Times said there was a low probability of a high-impact terrorist attack on shipping and little evidence of links between terrorists and pirates.

'Due to the relative vulnerability of smaller and slower vessels, the greatest threat to a port might in fact come from a small liquified petroleum gas or chemical tanker rather than the larger vessels, which tend to attract the most security attention at present,' the report said.

The document was prepared following the declaration of the strait as a high war-risk area for insurance purposes by Lloyd's of London.

The institute called on the three littoral states - Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore - to accept assistance from countries that have offered help, including India, China, Australia, Japan and the United States.

Malaysia and Indonesia have opposed foreign military involvement. The report suggested the other countries provide security in the strait, which carries 40 per cent of the world's trade.