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A YEAR 2010 PRESENTATION |
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In 2003, ship owners reported 445 attacks, in which 92 seafarers were killed or reported missing and 359 were assaulted and taken hostage. (Ships were hijacked in 19 of these cases and boarded in 311.) From 2002 to 2003, the number of those killed and taken hostage in attacks nearly doubled. Pirates have also increased their tactical sophistication, often surrounding a target ship with several boats and firing machine guns and antitank missiles to force it to stop. Pirates and Islamist terrorist groups have long operated in the same areas, including the Arabian Sea, the South China Sea, and in waters off the coast of western Africa. Now, in the face of massive international efforts to freeze their finances, terrorist groups have come to view piracy as a potentially rich source of funding.
Whereas land targets are relatively
well protected, the super-extended energy umbilical cord that extends by
sea to connect the West and the Asian economies with the Middle East is more
vulnerable than ever. Sixty percent of the world's oil is shipped by
approximately 4,000 slow and cumbersome tankers. These vessels have little
protection, and when attacked, they have nowhere to hide. (Except on Russian
and Israeli ships, the only weapons crewmembers have today to ward off attackers
are high-powered fire hoses and spotlights.)
ENTER THE MULTI - ROLE MARITIME
FIGHTER
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