Nine crew missing off Indonesia

Nine crew missing off Indonesia

ENGLAND: Nine crew members of a ship were missing after pirates
threw them overboard in Indonesian waters, just a few days before
military patrols begin in the Strait of Malacca, one of the
world's strategic shipping lanes, an ocean crime watchdog said on
Wednesday.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the attack
occurred on a tug called the Global Semesta Satu in the Bangka
Straits, south of the Strait of Malacca on Sunday.

The waterway has been particularly prone to attacks by Aceh
rebels and commercial pirates.

Jayant Abhyankar, deputy director of the IMB, said a 10th
member of the crew, the chief officer, managed to escape and was
picked up by another ship.

"We're still listing the other nine as missing. This (attack)
is pretty bad," he said, adding that he was awaiting more
information from Indonesian authorities. --Reuters