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patrol of the area by their naval security forces and improved protective measures taken by many ships navigating through the Malacca Strait area. In developing recommendations on precautions which may be taken for countering piracy on the high seas and armed robbery in territorial waters throughout the world, the Group was guided by a four-point philosophy as defined in Chapter 1.
8 The report identified collection, collation, assessment and dissemination of accurate information and statistics on attacks by pirates and armed robbers at sea as critical in countering the threat, because:
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such information enables those concerned to measure the precise levels of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships and thereby determine the effectiveness of counter-measures and the level of risk to ships in various areas;
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by studying the patterns and modus operandi of such attacks, sound advice on protective measures can be issued to merchant ships. addition, security forces concerned can assess the situation accurately and develop effective counter-measures to neutralize the perpetrators;
the possession of information, as suggested above, will allow agencies concerned to issue appropriate warnings to ships and owners that seek advice; and
accurate statistics can be used by Governments and other authorities to counter stories brought to the attention of the general public.
Radiocommunications
9 Chapter 6 (Radiocommunications) examines the communication facilities presently available in the area and recommends procedures to expedite the transmitting and processing of reports on unlawful acts using existing
resources.
10 In order to minimize co-ordination problems and possible delays in cases when distress/safety messages related to a specific area are received by Coast Earth Stations and Rescue Co-ordination Centres (RCCs) in other countries, Chapter 6 recommends the setting up of meetings/seminars for key personnel from RCCs for the exchange of views and the establishment of suitable procedures and actions in different types of situations. Consideration should also be given to arranging common exercises to verify that procedures and actions are effective.
Safety of navigation and protection of the marine environment
11 In view of the dense shipping traffic passing through the Malacca Strait, the high proportion of VLCCs and other tankers and the restricted navigational channels, the potential for accidents resulting in major ecological damage, loss of life and disruption to navigation is high. It is, therefore, essential that measures in place (aids to navigation, routeing systems, including TSSs, deep-draught routes and other routeing measures, vessel traffic services and local navigation rules) to assist the safety of navigation and by so doing protect the marine environment against accidental pollution, are not only adequate and up-to-date but address the local conditions and take into account the practical problems facing navigators in the area.
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