GLOBAL MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES: FINDING THE NEXUS BETWEEN PIRACY AND MARITIME TERRORISM

Abstract

The maritime arena suffers from serious problems of lawlessness since much of the ocean space is not under the jurisdiction of any country. Amoung various threats to maritime security, piracy and maritime terrorism have emerged as the most serious with grave implications for global trade. Today, three major hot spots of piracy exist around the world, viz, the Strait of Malacca, the horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea. Coincidentally, all three hot spots have seen prevalence of terrorism. The attack on USS Cole in Oct 2000 and the attack on MV Limburg two years later had shown that terrorist had proved their maritime capability beyond any doubt. Consequently, fears have persisted for over a decade that pirates and terrorist could form a nexus although this view is contested within the security community. A detailed examination of this issue reveals that there are reasons why pirates and terror groups could be drawn towards cooperating. However, equally, there are factors that show how cooperation between the two would be disadvantageous to pirates and may dissuade them. A study of the piratical and terrorist activities prevalent in the three hotspots shows that collusion and cooperation may be occurring in spheres such as financing of terrorist groups through ransom money. There are also some indications that terrorist groups may be seeking training from pirates in areas such as watermanship, shipboarding, etc. However, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that the two are collaborating at the operational level to carry out strikes. Yet, it would be prudent for the international security community to remain responsive to the possibility that pirates and terrorists could collude in conducting strikes in the maritime domain.