Piracy surges in SE Asia

A small coastal tanker is hijacked every two weeks on average, IMB report shows.

A small coastal tanker is hijacked by pirates in South East Asia every two weeks on average, a report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed.

South East Asia has accounted for more than half of the world’s 54 piracy and armed robbery incidents since the start of 2015.

After a steady drop over the last few years, attacks rose 10% in the first quarter of 2015 over the same period of 2014.

Worldwide, pirates took 140 hostages in the first three months of 2015, three times as many as during the same period in 2014.

But Somali piracy has been kept at bay according to the same reports as no incidents have been reported during the first quarter of 2015.

Vietnam has also seen an increase in pirate attacks with eight reports in the past three months alone as more and more thieves are breaking into ships at anchor in and around Hai Phong and Vung Tau.

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