By Saket Sundria (Bloomberg) Pirates attacked five ships over four days in one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, including two separate attempts on Monday, the Straits Times reported. Just after midnight on Monday, pirates attacked a crude oil tanker in the Singapore Strait. Within two hours of that, there was another attack on a dry bulk carrier. They tied up crew … [Read more...]
Rapid Response Team to Combat Piracy in Malacca and Singapore Strait
By Keith Wallis SINGAPORE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Malaysia and Indonesia are deploying rapid reaction teams to combat a soaring number of attacks on merchant vessels in one of the world's busiest shipping chokepoints, a Malaysian admiral said. Over 70 ships have been attacked in the Malacca and Singapore straits, on the western side of the Malay Peninsula, this … [Read more...]
Bunker Pirates Hit Another Tanker in Malacca Strait
Regional piracy watchdog ReCAAP has confirmed another fuel oil heist in the Malacca Strait over the weekend. ReCAAP says it was alerted Friday by the owners of the Singapore-registered product tanker Joaquim that contact had been lost with the vessel. The vessel's last known position was reported to be approximately 29 nautical miles north of Pulau Rupat in the … [Read more...]
Asia Piracy and Armed Robbery Incidents Up 22% in 2014 [REPORT]
The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, aka ReCAAP, reports a 22% increase in the total number of piracy and armed robbery incidents in Asian waters in 2014. The ReCAAP Information Sharing Center is the first government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation in the fight against piracy and armed … [Read more...]
5 Reasons Why Southeast Asian Piracy is Here to Stay
By Bryan Abell, Six Maritime Piracy in the Malacca Straits is as old as the trade routes that snake between Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Mariners have run the Malaccan gauntlet for centuries, braving the navigation hazards and seagoing thugs that inhabit the shortest route between India and China. After a brief hiatus in petty theft and looting at the end of the last … [Read more...]