Piracy in the Sulu and Celebes Seas

Sulu and Celebes Seas
An Iranun pirate armed with a spear, a kampilan sword, and a kris dagger

The Sulu and Celebes Seas, a semi-enclosed sea area and porous region that covers an area of space around 1 million square kilometres,[1] have been subject to illegal maritime activities since the pre-colonial era[2] and continue to pose a maritime security threat to bordering nations up to this day. While piracy has long been identified as an ubiquitous challenge, being historically interwoven with the region,[3] recent incidents also include other types of maritime crimes such as kidnapping and the trafficking of humans, arms and drugs. Attacks mostly classify as 'armed robbery against ships' according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as they occur in maritime zones that lie under the sovereignty of a coastal state.[4] Incidents in the Sulu and Celebes Seas specifically involve the abduction of crew members. Since March 2016, the Information Sharing Centre (ISC) of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) reports a total of 86 abductions,[5] leading to the issue of a warning for ships transpassing the area.[6]

  1. ^ Alverdian, Indra; Joas, Marko; Tynkkynen, Nina (2020). "Prospects for multi-level governance of maritime security in the Sulu-Celebes Sea: lessons from the Baltic Sea region". Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs. 12 (2): 114. doi:10.1080/18366503.2020.1770944. S2CID 219931525.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ Ikrami, Hadyu (2018). "Sulu-Sulawesi Seas Patrol: Lessons from the Malacca Straits Patrol and Other Similar Cooperative Frameworks". The International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law. 33 (4): 800. doi:10.1163/15718085-12334092. S2CID 158983060.
  3. ^ Teitler, Ger (2002). "Piracy in Southeast Asia. A Historical Comparison". MAST (Maritime Studies). 1 (1): 68.
  4. ^ Beckmann, Robert (2013). Piracy and armed robbery against ships in Southeast Asia. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 14. ISBN 9781849804844.
  5. ^ Safety 4 Sea (January 15, 2021). "ReCAAP ISC: 2020 ends with 97 piracy incidents in Asia, a 17% increase". Safety 4 Sea. Retrieved August 7, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ RECAAP ISC (2020). "Annual Report. January- December 2020". Retrieved August 6, 2021. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)