Calls rise for more ships to fight pirates

Calls are growing for the government and shipping firms to strengthen measures against Somali pirates, particularly following reports that pirates have threatened to take revenge for the killing of their comrades by South Korean troops.

Currently, the best way to protect seamen passing perilous areas in the Indian Ocean appears to be strengthening self-defense measures such as establishing a bulletproof safety zone inside each ship and stationing civilian security guards onboard.

Experts have argued that another 4,500-ton KDX-II warship needs to be added to the Cheonghae Unit in the Gulf of Aden to help it effectively carry out anti-piracy efforts. However, military officials said deploying an additional warship would be difficult, because it would leave a lack of warships to ensure domestic security.

The Cheonghae Unit, which was deployed to join an international anti-piracy campaign in March 2009, led last Friday’s successful operation to rescue all 21 crew of the Samho Jewelry freighter seized on Jan. 15. Eight pirates were shot dead and five others captured alive during the operation.

The unit has only one 4,500-ton class destroyer, compared with Chinese and Japanese units running two warships each. South Korea has only six KDX-II destroyers in total.

The Cheonghae Unit’s Choi Young destroyer is currently escorting the attacked Samho Jewelry ship and another is preparing to be dispatched to replace it, while another is being repaired after its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden.

Thus, only three KDX-II destroyers are in operation to ensure security on the Korean Peninsula.

“KDX-II destroyers are crucial for local maritime defense. If we send another destroyer, it means more than half the KDX-II destroyers would be used for the overseas mission. This could pose a problem in terms of our combat capabilities to protect the peninsula,” a Defense Ministry official said on condition of anonymity.

Another military official said that responsibility for protecting sailors at sea lies with shipping firms, emphasizing that their self-help measures should first be enhanced to prevent another piracy case.

“It is difficult for our military forces to protect all the vessels traveling in the vast Indian Ocean. Sending more naval equipment overseas is not that easy given the overall management of the military equipment,” the official said.

For the self-help measures, the government wishes to pass legislation requiring all ocean-going vessels to be equipped with a “citadel,” a bullet-proof muster zone inside which sailors can hide themselves for days in the event of attack by pirates.

Food, water and communications facilities can be kept in the citadel, enabling the crew to survive for at least a week while awaiting rescue. Small ship owners, however, are reluctant to install the facility as it could cost them more than 200 million won ($188,491).

The government is also seeking ways to make it mandatory to have civilian security personnel armed with weapons aboard the ships passing through dangerous areas in the Indian Ocean.

The government is also considering the mandatory installation of water cannons and barbed wire on ocean-going vessels. It is considering submitting bills on such maritime protection measures to the National Assembly as early as next month.

Meanwhile, the Choi Young escorting the Samho Jewelry was expected to arrive at a port in the Omani capital of Muscat on Thursday, officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.

The ships were currently close to Omani territorial waters. The Choi Young is expected to return to its anti-piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden early next month after being checked and receiving military supplies at the Muscat port, officials said.

South Korea is currently consulting with Oman on how to deal with the captured pirates. If Oman refuses to handle the pirates, the government plans to bring them here for criminal trial.

The countries adjacent to Somalia reportedly remain reluctant to accept any more Somali pirates due to the costs and the lack of housing facilities for them.

As for the bodies of the eight pirates shot dead, Seoul is considering sending them back to their home country from a “humanitarian standpoint.”

By Song Sang-ho (sshluck@heraldcorp.com)