A Japanese cargo ship yesterday foiled a pirate attack in the Strait of Malacca off Indonesia, days after pirates raided two UN-chartered vessels in the same area, a maritime watchdog said.
The attacks raised concerns about a resurgence of piracy in the strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes and a key link between Asia and Europe.
The waterway was listed by the Britain-based global shipping insurer Joint War Committee of the Lloyd's Market Association as a risk area in June last year, but had become largely peaceful since late last year following increased patrols by Indonesia's navy.
"We are extremely concerned with these three latest attacks in the same area," said Noel Choong, head of the London-based International Maritime Bureau's piracy center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
"We have informed the Indonesian authorities, and we hope they will take action to contain the problem," he said.
In the latest attack, pirates on an unlit blue speedboat off Indonesia's Aceh Province followed the Japanese ship and tried to board it from the stern, Choong said.
A duty officer raised an alarm. The crew turned on floodlights and sprayed water from fire hoses, preventing the pirates from boarding, Choong said.
"They stopped the attack by raising the alarm," he said, adding that the pirates, suspected to have guns, chased the ship for five minutes before giving up.
On Sunday night, pirates boarded two UN-chartered ships carrying material for the reconstruction of the tsunami-hit Aceh.
Both ships, flying Indonesian flags, had sailed from Belawan on Indonesia's Sumatra island and were heading for Aceh when they were attacked, Choong said.
He said no injuries were reported among the all-Indonesian crew on the two vessels, hired by the UN World Food Program.
The Malacca Strait has typically been one of the world's most pirate-infested sea lanes, but attacks fell to an all-time low last year after Indonesia and its neighboring countries increased naval patrols.
"At the moment, we don't know if these are isolated cases or the start of attacks again in the Malacca Strait," Choong said.
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