Indonesian waters remain a threat<\/p>\n
Piracy declined in the first nine months of 2005, though
\nIndonesia remained a global black spot and Somali waters re-
\nemerged as an area where shipping is seriously threatened, an
\nocean crime watchdog said on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Just days after pictures of pirates attempting an attack on a
\npacked cruise ship off Somalia's coast flashed around the world,
\nthe London-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said acts of
\npiracy had fallen to 205 in a nine month period this year,
\ncompared with 251 during the same period last year.<\/p>\n
It said during that period, pirates boarded 141 merchant
\nships, hijacked 11 vessels and shot at 15 others. They took 259
\nmariners hostage and kidnapped 10 people. Twelve people are still
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
While it welcomed a fall in attacks the agency said there was
\na worrying rise in crime near Somalia, Iraq and Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Somali waters, with 28 attacks since mid-March, including
\nthree last weekend, were \"out of control\", the IMB said.<\/p>\n
The weekend attacks included a high profile assault on a U.S.-
\nowned cruise ship carrying more than 300 people, pictures of
\nwhich where carried by television stations around the world.<\/p>\n
Men in two small boats on Saturday approached the Seabourn
\nCruise Line ship Spirit about 160 km off the Somali coast, fired
\nrocket-propelled grenades and machine guns at it, then tried to
\nboard in an apparent bid to rob passengers and crew. The ship
\nescaped with slight damage.<\/p>\n
\"After a quiet spell of nearly two years, serious attacks have
\nresumed off the eastern and north-eastern coast of Somalia,\" said
\nIMB Director, Pottengal Mukundan.<\/p>\n
\"These attacks take place in international waters and we call
\nupon naval vessels to come to the assistance of the hijacked
\nships,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Six attacks close to the Basra oil terminal in Iraq, despite
\nthe presence of coalition ships, and four attacks around the
\nBonny River in Nigeria were also troubling, the IMB said.<\/p>\n
The agency said Indonesia once again had the highest number of
\nattacks with 61 incidents or nearly a third of the total.<\/p>\n
The Malacca Strait sea lane, a crucial route for global trade,
\nsaw 10 attacks since February, it said. -- Reuters<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/indonesian-waters-remain-a-threat-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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