How to beat the pirates

Piracy around the Malacca Straits is very much back in the news.

How to beat the pirates

Piracy around the Malacca Straits is very much back in the news, with the United Nations saying the region has now surpassed West and East Africa to become the global hotspot for piracy. In particular, small product tankers have been targeted by robbers in the past three months. In the final week of June alone there were five reported incidents.

Piracy in Southeast Asia is nothing new. What is new, however, is the jump in numbers and the very specific targeting of certain types of ships.

This spike in hijacking and cargo theft has been brought about by the black market demand for marine fuel oil in Southeast Asia, says Steve McKenzie, a senior analyst at the UK firm, Dryad Maritime. There have been crimes similar to these for many years, the majority of which were from bunker barges and small tankers with only small amounts of fuel being stolen.

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Source: seashipnews.com