Pirate attacks on ships have become more frequent in Southeast Asia
According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which monitors pirate activity, the number of pirate attacks on small tankers in the waters of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore has increased sharply this year. The most tense situation has developed near the Indonesian island of Bintan, which is visible on clear days from Singapore. As of October 1, 2014, this small island is the most dangerous place on the planet in terms of the number of pirate attacks.
In the first nine months of this year, the IMB recorded 178 pirate attacks. In 2011, pirates were twice as active. Three years ago, they attacked ships 352 times.
In Southeast Asia, despite the overall decline in January-September, a twofold increase in attacks was recorded: from 54 in 2011 to 103.
"A new disturbing trend of attacks on small tankers plying along the coast of Southeast Asia has emerged," commented IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan on the latest data. "We advise all ships and especially small tankers to remain vigilant in these waters and report all attacks and suspicious small vessels to us."
Pirates have favored the Malacca Strait, connecting Malaysia and Indonesia, for centuries. Perhaps the sharply increased number of attacks on small tankers is explained by the fact that they usually prefer to anchor away from the shore and not enter ports to save costs. Such vessels become easy prey for pirates. Suffice it to say that of the 6 ships captured by pirates worldwide in the third quarter, 5 were in SEA.
In one recent incident described in the IMB report, 8 masked pirates armed with automatic rifles and knives boarded a Thai tanker en route from Singapore to Timor. They took all 14 crew members hostage and drove the vessel to an unknown location. Then they took all valuables and money, pumped the oil into two of their tankers and disappeared.
In total, in January-September of this year, pirates killed 3 people in SEA and took 369 hostage. They captured 17 vessels and boarded 124 ships. The crews of another 10 attacked ships managed to fight back.
While in the waters of the Horn of Africa, thanks to increased security measures, the number of pirate attacks has been significantly reduced, despite the existence of trilateral agreements between Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore on joint patrols, it has not yet been possible to prevent the surge in pirate activity.
Sergei MANUKOV.
"Expert Online"