- guardian.co.uk, Sunday February 10 2002 00.30 GMT
Armed hijacking and piracy has become such a major threat to the multi-billion pound shipping industry that crews are carrying arms to ward off attacks.
The pirates carry weapons ranging from kitchen knives to AK47 rifles. Last year, 21 people were shot dead in raids from the Mediterranean to Malaysia.
Sea-workers' unions have launched a campaign to force the Government to take the threat of piracy more seriously. A record seven British ships were attacked by pirates last year and another 15 attacked were managed or controlled by UK firms, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
'Crews need more protection,' said Andrew Linington, of sea-worker's union, Numast. 'Owners have resisted moves towards greater security. Seafarers should not have to defend themselves against AK47s.'
In October, a British skipper was forced to fire a shotgun at raiders who had attacked him with automatic rifles when they boarded his freighter off the coast of Sierra Leone.
John Bailey, 52 from Hornsea, East Yorkshire, chased a gang of pirates around the 5,200-tonne Cape Georjean. After one of his shots hit an intruder, they fled.
'I knew my crew mates were in trouble, so I had to open the door,' he said. 'I was about to turn the handle on my cabin door when I heard the click of automatic weapons, so I took the shotgun with me. When I opened the door, I saw a gun pointing at me from a yard or two away, but as he pulled the trigger the gun seemed to jam. Someone was certainly keeping an eye on me.'
'A hijack can last 30 to 40 minutes' said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB. 'This is often done by the criminals who on land would rob a home. In comparison, attacking a ship at anchor is risk-free. A few people can take millions of dollars of freight easily.'
There were 335 incidents of piracy last year, he said, and reports were still coming in. 'The overall trend is for them to rise steadily year on year,' he said.
He added piracy had become highly organised in some instances: 'In an organised attack, the pirates will come in waves. The first group come in a fast, small ship and neutralise the crew, by blindfolding and binding them, or even killing them.
'The next wave take charge of the ship. They change the name on the hull and have false documents. They then pilot it to a prearranged buyer. They net millions from the freight a ship carries.'
He added there were eight 'phantom ships' in the world at present - boats that have disappeared with their identities changed.
