Pirate attacks increase in South China Sea

Piracy is a present danger in the South China Sea, ranging from Singapore to Taiwan, where copycat Somali pirate attacks with pirates armed with gun and knives numbered 19 last month, an increase from 17 year on year, reports the International Maritime Board.

Noel Choong, head of the IMB's piracy reporting centre told Agence France-Presse that alerts were sent to vessels in May of the danger in this body of water, which makes up the trunk line from Asia to Europe via the Gulf of Aden.

"These vessels should mount anti-piracy watches because once pirates are spotted, they do not attack unlike Somalia sea robbers. The shipping lane is to be monitored closely between Malaysia, Indonesia and the eastern Singapore Straits. While well below the frequency of attacks off Somalia, an increase in attacks is possible without anti-piracy operations in place, he added.

(Source: Transport Weekly)