Tag: Southeast Asian waters

Piracy and fuel theft in Southeast Asia are syphoning confidence reveals that maritime crime requires a concerted stakeholder response

According to latest IMB piracy report The Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) raises concerns over a worrying trend of small tanker hijacks in its 2014 half yearly report released this week.Globally, 116 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships have been reported to the PRC in the first six months of 2014, down on the 138 incidents for the corresponding period for 2013. In 2014,10 vessels were hijacked, seven fired upon, 78 boarded and 21 vessels reported attempted attacks against their vessels. Two hundred crewmembers were taken hostage, five kidnapped from their vessels and there were two fatalities according to the report.In Southeast Asia, at least six known cases of coastal tankers being hijacked for their cargoes of diesel or gas oil have been reported since April this year, sparking fears of a new trend in pirate attacks in the area. Until then, the majority of attacks in the region had been on vessels, mainly at anchor, boarded for petty theft."The recent increase in the number of successful hijackings is a cause for concern," stated IMB Director, Pottengal Mukundan. "These serious attacks have so far targeted small coastal tankers. ...