Date: 1984
Location: Straits of Malacca

A merchant seaman aboard the fleet oiler USNS Passumpsic target practices with a 12 gauge shotgun as part of training to repel pirates during a transit of the Strait of Malacca. East-west ship traffic in the area converges in the straits between Singapore and Indonesia where pirate attacks have historically occurred. Narrow channels in the straits and areas of limited maneuverability create choke points for shipping and opportunities for pirates.

However, the frequency of the attacks was low at the time of this photo in 1984. There were some 30,000 annual ship transits of the Straits of Malacca at the time, according to a U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD). Lloyds Shipping Information Service reported 31 attacks on merchant ships in the Singapore area in 1983.^[1]

Thus, approximately one ship out of 970 experienced some kind of armed robbery attempt during the year. Shipping in the Straits of Malacca is now estimated to include some 50,000 transits, according to the South Asia Analysis Group.

Figures reported by the International Maritime Bureau indicate worldwide pirate attacks fell for the third year in a row in 2006. Pirates attacked 239 ships during the year 2006, down from 276 in 2005, and 329 in 2004. Attacks in the straits have declined as well from 79 in 2005 to 50 in 2006.^[2]

MARAD published a handbook regarding pirates during the mid-1980s for ship masters of the U.S. merchant fleet. The handbook advised:

• ANTICIPATE TROUBLE
  
• BE VIGILANT
  
• DON'T BE A HERO

Moreover, MARAD's self-protection measures included the advisory,

Nighttime safeguards for the Passumspic transiting the Straits of Malacca included the ship's master posting seamen armed with shotguns on the ship's stern. Typically, a ship's radar does not provide good coverage of the area immediately to the rear of a ship. The armed seamen helped compensate for the radar's blind spot by positioning themselves behind powerful flood lights which reduced the likelihood that approaching pirates could see the Passumpsic's lookouts.

Further protective measures included the captain pre-positioning M14 rifles on the bridge, as well as 38-revolvers and extra ammunition for ready access.

1. ↑ "The MARAD View of Maritime Piracy," presented at Piracy at Sea: The Modern Challenge. Marine Policy and Ocean Management Workshop; Woods Hole, Massachusetts. April 24, 1985.
2. ↑ Piracy down 3rd year in row: IMB report," Journal of Commerce Online; January 23, 2007.

• International Maritime Bureau
• Asian Analysis Group
• U.S. Maritime Administrations (MARAD)