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Notwithstanding
the strong awareness and call for
greater vigilance on piracy attacks,
a record number of actual and
attempted piracy attacks have been
reported by merchant shipping for
the first three months of 2002.
In
January to March this year, there
were 87 incidents, according to the
latest statistics published by the
ICC International Maritime Bureau,
which maintains its Piracy Reporting
Center in Kuala Lumpur.
In
the corresponding period last year,
there were 68 reports, previously
the highest total for the three
months.
Nearly
half the total, 43 incidents, took
place in Indonesian, Indian,
Nigerian and Red Sea/Gulf of Aden
waters.
The
use of firearms were reported in 17
of the cases.
The
IMB warns of risks to shipping in
the Strait of Malacca, in Somalian
waters (described as “high risk”
and a number if Indian anchorages,
along with a substantial list of
locations in southeast Asia and
Indian subcontinent, Africa and Red
Sea, South and Central America and
the Caribbean, where mariners are
advised to be on their guard.
There
were a number of serious incidents,
including a major kidnapping and
ransom outrage off the coast of
Somalia, where the general cargo
ship Princess Sarah was captured by
Somali pirates and fatal attacks on
fishing boats in the Strait of
Malacca and in Indonesian waters,
where the crew of a tug were
hijacked along with their craft.
The
IMB points out that the present
terrorist threat “has spurred the
shipping industry to action as never
before”.
IMB
said the industry was now facing the
same sort of threats that have
afflicted aviation for the past 30
years.
The
report also points out that
Indonesia has announced that it is
stepping up its fight against
pirates with the establishment of a
third anti-piracy centre at Banka on
Sumatra.
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