After remaining piracy-free for a couple of years, Chattogram port has witnessed three incidents of pirate attacks so far this year, according to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
Pirate attacks at Chattogram port
According to the ReCAAP report, pirates attacked the oil and chemical tanker Wawasan Topaz on 15 March, the LNG tanker BLPG Sophia on 18 April, and the STI Magister on 26 April this year.
People concerned said the reputation of Chattogram port as piracy-free is under threat due to these recent reports of piracy. In order to maintain its reputation, the Chattogram Port Authority (CPA) needs to be more proactive about the safety of ships.
The ReCAAP records incidents of piracy under four categories.
Category-4 attacks
All three incidents of piracy in Chattogram port were recorded under category-4, which is defined as: “The perpetrators were not armed and the crew not harmed. More than half of CAT 4 incidents involved 1-3 men who escaped empty-handed upon being sighted by the crew.”
Regarding the pirate attack on 26 April, Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone) Commander M Ashfaq bin Idris told TBS that a number of miscreants stole some goods from a foreign ship at the port, but they recovered it within six to seven hours and returned it to the ship authority.
However, Capt Md Faridul Alam, deputy conservator of Chattogram port, told The Business Standard there has been no piracy at the port this year.
“We disagree with the ReCAAP report. We will send a letter to the ReCAAP authorities soon protesting the report,” he said.
As of 28 May this year, 39 piracies across the world have been recorded in the ReCAAP report. Of these, three were reported in Bangladesh, three in India, three in the Philippines, 25 in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and five in Indonesia.
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Source: The Business Standard
