Chinese troops man Hong Kong ships, expand anti-pirate role

An unspecified number of warships will augment three ships China now stations off the Horn of Africa, two destroyers and a supply ship, which convoy Hong Kong, mainland ships and others wanting to join. There are 10 such convoys monthly, five east and five west, with 313 Hong Kong vessels taking part in the last year and 1,110 ships in total.

China has now agreed to station a single ship in the corridor for a month at a time to patrol a 60 nautical mile stretch of ocean, the newspaper reported.

The PLA navy officials reached agreement last week over its expanded role with major international navies at a meeting of the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (Shade) group in Bahrain. Shade, which has been headed by the EU and a US-led coalition called the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), co-ordinates the 40 navies cruising the Horn of Africa. While some operate under NATO, the EU or the US-led CMF, naval forces from China, India, Russia, Malaysia and Iran operate independently.

By committing an "enduring" presence in the corridor, China will be eligible to lead as part of a new rotating chairmanship, which will switch every three to four months. The move is expected to induce India and Russia to seek a greater role, as they try to match a growing Chinese presence in the Indian Ocean.

Said CMF operations chief, US Navy captain Chris Chambers: "There has been major progress in communication and co-operation with navies that once didn't really speak to each other. China will get a chance to chair the Shade. It is a very positive development. It will open the door for other independent nations to come in."

Ships captured by pirates are usually taken to lairs where crews are held for ransoms of US$2 million - $7 million. China began to press for a larger role after paying $3.5 million ransom.

PLA troops are now serving aboard Hong Kong-flagged ships transiting the Horn of Africa, reported the South China Morning Post. But Evergreen Marine and Formosa Marine officials refused to comment on whether they had used PLA soldiers, saying the issue was too sensitive to discuss.

Speaking at a shipping conference in Singapore last week, Hong Kong's Marine Department director Roger Tupper appeared disheartened about the state of affairs. "They [pirates] have shown themselves to be able to adjust tactics and operate at ever greater distances," he said. "It is now possible that piracy is the most lucrative Somali industry going."

Yet he opposed resorting to the use of armed security contractors. "Having armed guards outside a military operation would lead to an unnecessary escalation. More guns, more shooting, more firepower - that is something that, overall, the industry wishes to avoid. We support more naval activities to protect shipping."

Debates ran hot on the fringes of the Singapore conference, an event co-ordinated by the Hong Kong Shipowners Association. "Foreign owners of some ships registered in Hong Kong have asked us to provide armed teams. We have to tell them it is too difficult," one private security executive said.

Source: www.schednet.com