The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has labeled Chittagong port in Bangladesh as the "most dangerous port in the world" with 33 incidents of piracy (22 actual and 11 attempted) in the first nine months of 2006.

The majority of these incidents occurred in and around the port of Chittagong with violence and intimidation of crew being the hallmark of these attacks. But Dhaka quickly responded to the report and A.M. Shahadat Hossain, Chairman of the Chittagong Port Authority noted, "It's just bogus, it's based on distorted information." He defended his position by noting that these incidents involved petty theft of ship stores such as ropes and could not be considered as pirate attacks and countered with a rebuttal of his own, "pirate attacks are something deadly....which follow hijackings or taking crews hostage."

Nonetheless, piracy has been rampant in Bangladeshi seaports for the several years now. In 2001, there were 25 reported incidents and in 2002, this figure reached 32 incidents. In 2004, the IMB had been singularly appreciative of the Bangladeshi efforts to curb piracy in their waters that witnessed a sharp decline from 58 incidents in 2003 to 17 in 2004. But since then, an upward trend has continued with 21 recorded incidents in 2005, and now 33 incidents in the first nine months of 2006.

An analysis of piracy incidents over the last ten years in Bangladesh show that at least 75 percent of the incidents were carried out in harbour and port areas. Foreign ships are reluctant to call at Bangladesh ports particularly Chittagong and Mongla and foreign shipping companies impose additional charges for discharging cargo at ports. Regrettably, these ports remain vulnerable and insecure for visiting ships despite the implementation of the International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) Code, a set of international guidelines to respond to the risk to vessels from the threat posed by unlawful acts in the port premises.

Also, some of the most serious pirate attacks on fishermen have taken place in the territorial waters of Bangladesh. In 2003, pirates attacked and killed 14 fishermen; the trawler carrying fish worth US$50,000 was hijacked. In 2004, Bangladesh Police found the bodies of 16 fishermen stuffed in the ice chamber of their boat F.B Kausara. Bangladesh shares a riverine border with India, which makes trans border piracy easier. The hostages are often sent away with instructions to the families of others to arrange for ransom.

Another incident with broader ramification occured in 2004, when following a tip-off, nine truckloads of arms and ammunition were seized from the port of Chittagong. The shipment involved two key insurgent movements from India's northeast - the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and the Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-IM), which since 1997 has been locked in protracted peace talks with the Indian government. In response, routine aerial patrolling over the outer anchorage of Chittagong port, exclusive economic zone and villages along the port channel of Karnaphuli River by air force helicopters was recommended, although not implemented.

Though Bangladesh claims to have conducted a joint coast guard and navy operation involving 17 vessels and 3,000 troops to capture pirates in the Bay of Bengal, the effect of such an exercise has been fruitless with piracy still widespread off Chittagong port. The Bangladesh authorities are conscious of these trends in piracy but have not made any significant progress in containing this problem.

Bangladesh has ratified the 1988 UNCLOS III, but has yet to ratify the 1988 Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation, (SUA Convention). Also, Bangladesh has no agreement with India and Myanmar, its maritime neighbours on anti piracy patrols. More importantly, there are no bilateral agreements among regional countries to challenge sea piracy.

But other regional countries are conscious of the menace and have now agreed to participate in Regional Cooperation Agreement on Anti-Piracy (ReCAAP) that aims to enhance multilateral cooperation among the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plus Japan, India, China, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

As of October 2006, of the sixteen countries, fourteen have signed the agreement and eleven of these have ratified it. India became the 10^th member state to deposit the instrument of ratification, thus paving the way for bringing the Agreement into force 90 days thereafter. As far as Bangladesh is concerned, although the Cabinet has approved a proposal for ratification of the ReCAAP, it is yet to submit the instrument of ratification to the government of Singapore, the depositary of the agreement.

Piracy in Bangladesh waters has not attracted international attention primarily due to the fact that geographically, it does not sit astride any major sea-lane and this factor may explain the piracy problem. What is perhaps needed is greater commitment on the part of Bangladeshi security agencies by engaging in frequent anti piracy patrols, air surveillance and improving port physical security to prevent unscrupulous elements a thoroughfare into the port premises. This will also enhance confidence among foreign flag companies who would then be tempted to frequent Bangladesh ports leading to the reduction or even removal of additional levies imposed by shipping companies operating from Chittagong.

At the bilateral level, it will be prudent on the part of the Bangladeshi coast guard to undertake joint anti piracy exercises with its Indian counterparts who have rich experience in dealing with sea piracy and have conducted joint drills with the coast guards of several countries. This will help Bangladeshi coast guard hone their skills while learning how to deal with transnational crime at sea. At the multilateral level, it will be useful for ReCAAP leadership to engage in a dialogue with the Bangladesh authorities to understand the reasons for increasing incidents of sea piracy in its waters and to explore the possibility of assistance to address this problem.