Keating urges sharing maritime security info

 

By Audrey McAvoy - The Associated Press

Posted : Monday Apr 16, 2007 7:18:42 EDT

 

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The top U.S. commander in the Pacific on Monday said countries lining the Malacca Strait have vastly improved the security and safety of the important trade route in the last five years.

 

Adm. Timothy Keating also said that sharing maritime security information among military officials, diplomats and commercial shipping operators was an integral part of U.S. goals to boost regional stability.

 

“It’s of critical importance to us,” said Keating told a joint news conference with Gen. Abdul Aziz Zainal, the chief of Malaysian defense forces, to mark the start of a military legal issues conference co-sponsored by Malaysia and the U.S. Pacific Command.

 

Keating, who became the head of the Pacific Command three weeks ago, arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the last leg of his Asia-Pacific tour that took him earlier to Tokyo, Seoul and Guam.

 

Keating’s endorsement of the Malacca Strait security is welcome news for Southeast Asian countries, who have been fighting the perception that the important trading route is vulnerable not only to pirate attacks but also to Islamic terrorists.

 

About half of the world’s oil trade and about one-third of all global commerce passes through the narrow straits between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.

 

Abdul Aziz also said that the three countries have boosted confidence in the safety of the sea route by increasing their surveillance of suspect vessels in the area. He added that nations could improve their information sharing by agreeing to common procedures.

 

“We are providing full security measures in the Straits of Malacca to provide confidence for the movement of ships lining the straits,” he said, adding that there’s been a “tremendous reduction” in pirate attacks since.

 

Keating agreed, saying the security in the Malacca Straits was “much different and much improved in just the last five years.”

 

The oil Japan, China, and South Korea import from the Middle East passes through the strait, making it a vital waterway for global economic health.

 

Pirates have plagued the area for decades, however. And after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, U.S. military officials grew increasingly concerned that terrorists might try to exploit the lax security in the area to mount attacks that could shut down the Malacca Strait.

 

But Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore began stepping up their surveillance by coordinating their sea patrols in 2004 and following with air patrols a year later.

 

Last August, the British insurance market Lloyd’s lifted its “war-risk” rating for the waterway, saying the safety of the 550-mile-long strait had improved due to long-term security measures.

 

There still remain some questions, however, about how well the nations lining the strait are able to transfer responsibility for chasing suspect ships once the vessels cross international maritime borders.

 

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Malacca Strait for the geographically challenged - hey I looked it up to be certain.

 

 

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