Continued SE Asian attacks against small tankers

Published today, a new report from the ICC IMB highlights a continuing trend in South East Asia in the hijacking of small coastal tankers by maritime pirates.

Maritime piracy report reveals continued SE Asian attacks against small tankers

Published today, a new report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) highlights a continuing trend in South East Asia in the hijacking of small coastal tankers by maritime pirates, averaging one attack every two weeks.

According to the report, five small tankers were hijacked in South East Asian waters in the second quarter of 2015 alone, bringing the total number of vessels hijacked globally in 2015 to 13.

IMB has stressed however that enhanced cooperation between regional authorities is paying off and that early detection of approaching skiffs has resulted in attacks being aborted.

IMB highlighted the tracking and arrest off Vietnam of an eight-man Indonesian gang responsible for the hijacking of a Malaysian tanker last month. IMB also praised the Malaysian authorities for the June conviction of nine Indonesian pirates, apprehended after the January hijacking of an anchored product tanker off Johor.

Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB said: “Information sharing and coordinated action between concerned coastal states is crucial in responding to this threat. We commend the effort that caught one gang and also the hefty custodial sentences imposed on another which will help deter further incidents.”

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Source: ICC.