Piracy picking up in RI waters

Piracy picking up in RI waters

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Piracy is picking up in Indonesia's waters
with nine attacks reported in the past two months in a new hot
spot for sea robberies, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB)
said yesterday.

In a statement released through its Regional Piracy Center in
Kuala Lumpur, the London-based IMB warned ships plying Indonesian
waters that containers and bulk carrier vessels were favorite
targets.

The bureau said nine sea robberies occurred between Oct. 25
and Dec. 6 in a single location adjacent to the east coast of
Sumatra province and northwest Java province.

"The attacks had a similar hallmark to the attacks that
occurred in the waters in 1991 and 1992, with ships' crews being
tied up, ships left without navigation and money, and crew
effects stolen," the IMB said.