PIRACY: Asia piracy update

[trublue]

There were eight pirate attacks in Asian waters in November this year, according to the latest stats from the ReCAAP. There were eight pirate attacks in Asian waters in November this year, according to the latest stats from the ReCAAP. Indonesia was the hotspot with four actual attacks and two attempted attacks. There was no discernable trend to the location within Indonesia; the attacks were scattered throughout the archipelago. One attack took place at Chennai anchorage, India, the final attack off Zamboanga Del Norte, in the Philippines. Chemical tankers and bulk carriers were the favoured targets with three attacks each. Of note is that all attacks took place close to land – attacks tended to focus on ships at anchor or berthed. Of concern is that, in November this year, the pirates seemed to be “manning up” i.e. there were more pirates per attack. One incident involved over nine attackers.

Asian piracy in November this year was less frequent, less severe in terms of violence and economic loss and more scattered than compared to November last year. From November 08 to November 09 the average was for eight attacks a month, with, on average, one of the eight attacks each month being unsuccessful. But those averages hide a wide range – in January 09 there were two attacks (both successful), while in September there were 15 attacks of which 11 were successful

[protectasia]

Just an add on from a different source with a particular reference to the Malacca Straits;



THE straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the waters off Malaysia provided safe havens for ships last month, with no pirate attacks reported in those areas.

In November last year, there were two attacks in the straits and two off Tanjung Ayam, Johor.

In the same month this year, there were eight pirate attacks elsewhere in Asia, five of which were successful, said anti-piracy group ReCAAP in its monthly report. This is a decline from the 10 attacks in November last year.

On Nov 5 this year, four pirates boarded the bulk carrier Tequila Sunrise in the Ciwandan Anchorage near Java, Indonesia. They tied up the crew and stole engine spare parts before fleeing.

On Nov 17, 10 robbers brandishing knives stormed the bulk carrier Florinda sailing off Pulau Mangkai, an Indonesian island west of Borneo. They escaped with money and valuables.

Two days later, seven armed pirates boarded the chemical tanker High Energy in the same vicinity.
They escaped empty-handed when the crew raised the alarm.

In the most serious incident on Nov 21, nine pirates armed with guns boarded the tugboat Marinero in Siocon Bay in the Philippines. Their loot included the boat's radio and Global Positioning System equipment. They also abducted three crew members.

The other successful attack was made on the chemical tanker Gulf Jumeirah anchored in Balikpapan, Kalimantan, on Nov 21.

[farangbootneck]

Moving off to the Far east in the next few day's..
Many thanks lads, big help.