IMB warns of South China Sea pirates, calls for more security

THE International Maritime Bureau (IMB) piracy reporting centre, a maritime watchdog based in Kuala Lumpur, has issued a warning to ships following a marked increase in attacks, with six incidents reported in the South China Sea off the Indonesian islands of Mangkai, Anambas and Natuna in as many days.

The South China Sea, running from Hong Kong to Singapore, bordering on the Malacca Straits is part of a vital shipping lane for world trade that attracts more than 50,000 merchant ships every year.

The IMB warning advised ships to exercise caution in the area and noted that attacks were still continuing, reports Reuters.

"A lot of industry players are concerned that if you don't contain the attacks now then it may come to a point where it may become very hard to control," Noel Choong, head of the IMB piracy reporting centre, was quoted as saying.

Mr Choong said that since June 10, pirates have attacked a Malaysian products tanker, a South Korean cargo ship, two Singapore containerships, a Chinese tanker and a Cypriot containership.

In one incident, six armed pirates boarded a Singaporean containership, stole cash and took hostages before escaping.

Mr Choong said the attacks were mainly in Indonesian waters and demanded that patrols be stepped up by Indonesia, with the IMB saying that Indonesia saw its highest number of first quarter incidents in two years, with six boardings recorded.
(Source:www.schednet.com)