Sea piracy rampant worldwide

Sea piracy rampant worldwide

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Piracy is surging sharply worldwide, with Indonesia remaining the hottest bed for sea brigands and Somalia a dangerous hideout for heavily armed pirates, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said yesterday.

The number of reported piracy incidents worldwide surged 55 percent to 90 cases in the year to mid-August from 58 in the previous corresponding period, IMB's regional manager John Martin told AFP, after releasing the bureau's piracy update.

The area lying amid Hong Kong, Luzon in the Philippines and Hainan in the South China Sea remains a source of concern for ships sailing between Japan and Southeast Asia, he said.

"Eight attacks have been clearly identified for this year," Martin said.

The IMB report showed that harbors and ports in Indonesia recorded the largest number of cases numbering 23 out of 90, followed by 11 in Somalia, where pirates with sophisticated weapons ruled the seas.

Firearms were used in nine of the 11 cases, the IMB said, expressing concern over the serious threat it posed to the safety of crew and vessels.

"In one of the incidents, pirates attacked the Bahamas- registered Bonsella, held the crew at gunpoint and for six days stripped the vessel of its cargo," the IMB report said.

There were reports of 10 cases off China, with the territorial disputes in the Spratlys chain in the South China Sea having led to possible illegal seizures by Chinese troops, it said.

In an increasing number of cases, thieves crept on board under cover of darkness to steal a vessel's equipment without the crew realizing it until the following day, it said.

Martin said 46 vessels were boarded by pirates, 17 were victims of attempted boardings, 11 were hijacks, in nine vessels were fired on, and the rest were either robberies or illegal detentions.

The latest victim of an attempted boarding was tanker British Esk in the South China Sea on Aug. 13. There were no details. Panama-flagged bulk carrier Hye Mieko was reportedly hijacked by Chinese renegade troops in the South China Sea on June 23.