Seafarers off RI's Aceh coast warned

Seafarers off RI's Aceh coast warned

MALAYSIA: Seafarers have been warned to maintain a sharp anti- piracy watch off Indonesia's war-torn Aceh coast after eight attacks on ships within four months, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said on Tuesday.

"We are putting out a red alert to all ships entering the Malacca Strait: Keep clear of Indonesia's Aceh coast and maintain strict anti-piracy watch," Noel Choong, the Malaysian-based IMB regional director said. "Ships are advised to sail closer to the Malaysian coast."

The Malacca Strait, a narrow waterway slicing Indonesia's sprawling Sumatra island from Malaysia, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, funneling 50,000 vessels a year between the biggest economies of the West and the East.

"Their modus operandi is to come close in three boats and try to stop the ship. In some attacks, they sprayed bullets at the ships to stop the vessels," he said. --AFP