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.