Malacca Straits experiences upswing in pirate attacks

Malacca Straits experiences upswing in pirate attacks    The International Maritime Bureau has announced a rapid upswing in pirate attacks against merchant vessels in the Malacca Straits.
   “Following the tsunami of 26 December, there was a welcome decrease in piracy in the region,” said Capt. Pottengal Mukundan, IMB director, said in a statement today. “However, in the past two weeks there have been at least three violent attacks in these waters.”
   The IMB, an operation of the International Chamber of Commerce, monitors global piracy from its reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
   The IMB reported that the first attack occurred Feb. 28 when a tug towing a barge load of coal to Lumut Power Station was attacked off the port of Penang. A gang of pirates abducted the captain and chief officer and held them for ransom.
   The second attack occurred March 12. An oil tanker en route from Samarinda to Belawan in Indonesia was attacked by 35 armed pirates. The captain and chief engineer were kidnapped and are still missing. The vessel proceeded to Dumai, Indonesia.
   On March 14, a third attack was reported in the Malacca Straits. A Japanese tug was attacked about 70 miles southwest of Penang, while towing a construction barge from Batam, Indonesia to Myanmar. Three crewmembers were abducted from the 14 member crew and are still missing, the IMB said.
   “It is vital that action be taken by law enforcement agencies to identify the perpetrators of these attacks and have them punished under law,” Mukundan said. “The abduction of crewmembers in this manner is a reprehensible act and should not be allowed to continue.”