Abstract: The economic and ecological impact of a maritime terrorist attack on the Straits of Malacca or the Port of Singapore would be immediate and felt regionally and globally. Over a quarter of the world's trade, half of its oil and much of its liquefied natural gas pass through these Straits annually. A majority of this trade also passes through the Port of Singapore. Singapore is a major transshipping hub based on the overall shipping tonnage and the number of containerized cargo handled. The effects of a cataclysmic maritime terrorist act in these areas are alarming: the associated human toll, the immediate loss of revenue and the exponential cost of rebuilding the Port of Singapore, the ecological disaster created from oil flowing into the Straits, and the considerable increase in sailing time to bypass the Straits. Asia would be hardest hit, but the impact will be felt globally. Commander, Pacific Command, by virtue of his Pacific region responsibilities, along with the governments of Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia, must cooperate and ally with one another to deter and deny terrorists access to the commercial maritime industry, the soft underbelly of our regional and global economies.
| Limitations: |
 APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE |
| Description: |
Research paper |
| Pages: |
44 |
| Report Date: |
18 MAY 2004 |
| Report Number: |
A519524 |
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