Boxship outruns Malacca pirates

IN the latest piracy incident to be reported in the Malacca Strait, 10 armed men in a speedboat attempted to board a container ship underway. The ICC International Maritime Bureau's Weekly Piracy Report says the attack took place of 28 August but, thanks to the ship’s higher speed, the pirates could not board and gave up the chase. The following day an attempted boarding was reported from the Makassar Strait, Indonesia. Three white, speedboats doing 17 kts, approached a bulk carrier underway, from both sides. The duty officer raised the alarm, sounded the ship's whistle and the crew mustered. Seeing the alert crew, the pirates aborted the attempt.