Pirate assaults on Small Oil Tankers growing in Southeast Asia Waters

Hijackings of small oil tankers with the aid of armed gangs are growing in Southeast Asia, home to the shortest sea-trade direction between the middle East and China, even as pirate assaults globally fell for a 3rd year.

five of the six vessels seized global inside the third area had been in Southeast Asia, stated the international Maritime Bureau and worldwide Chamber of commerce. There’s been 178 global piracy incidents to date this year, down from 352 in 2011, they said in an e-mailed document nowadays.

Gangs of thieves armed with knives and guns are making Southeast Asian waters increasingly dangerous for small tankers carrying fuels which include gasoil or marine diesel, in keeping with the file. The vicinity consists of the Malacca Strait connecting the Indian Ocean with the South China Sea and the Pacific that’s been described through the U.S. strength facts management as one of the world’s “maximum strategic choke points.”

“It’s encouraging to see the huge decrease in maritime piracy and armed robbery over the previous couple of years,” stated Pottengal Mukundan, the Kuala Lumpur-based totally director of the IMB. “but, there was a worrying new upward push in assaults against small coastal tankers in Southeast Asia. We suggest small tankers particularly to stay vigilant in those waters.”

Pirates killed 3 group, kidnapped five and took 369 seafarers hostage globally in the first 9 months of this year, according to the document. a complete of 17 vessels had been hijacked, 124 were boarded and 10 fired upon.

Naval Patrols

In Somalia, where armed guards and naval patrols have helped deter and repel attacks on a change lane linking Europe to Asia, 40 hostages are nonetheless being held for ransom, in step with the report.

“a number of those group participants have been held captive there for extra than 4 years now, with fading hopes of on the spot launch,” Mukundan said.

Indonesia recorded 72 incidents inside the first 3 quarters, consisting of sixty seven armed robberies and 5 hijackings.

Southeast Asia’s waters have become greater dangerous, said the captain of a Vietnamese tanker released by means of pirates in advance this month following a six-day local hunt. The dawn 689 back from Singapore after dropping part of its diesel cargo to pirates who stated they have been Indonesian.