86 piracy attacks reported

86 piracy attacks reported

KUALA LUMPUR (DPA): The International Maritime Bureau said yesterday there had been 86 piracy attacks on vessels worldwide in the first half of this year, with most attacks reported in Indonesia, the Philippines, India and Ecuador.

Although the figure was lower than the 117 reported in the same period last year, the bureau cautioned that because of late reporting by shippers it was still too early to conclude that piracy attacks have dropped.

The bureau's Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Center, in its latest half-year update, said piracy attacks for 1997 rose 17 per cent over 1996, with 262 attacks reported from 224 previously.

Piracy has been on the rise since 1994's 90 incidents and 1995's 188 attacks. Most attacks occurred in East Asian waters, although shippers have reported increasing attacks in South Asia and South America in recent years.