Watchdog: World Piracy Continues to Fall but SE Asia a Worry

Piracy on the high seas fell last year to an eight-year low worldwide but the number of successful ship hijackings increased due to rising numbers of attacks in the waters off Southeast Asia, a piracy watchdog said Wednesday.

The International Maritime Bureau said in an annual report that 245 pirate attacks were recorded globally in 2014, down from 264 the year before, and nearly half of the 445 reported in 2010 when piracy off Somalia was raging.

Global piracy incidents have tumbled since then due to a multi-national naval patrol effort launched off East Africa, as well as improved onboard security.

But the seas off Southeast Asia, particularly the waterways between Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, have steadily emerged as a new hotspot, with attacks on small tankers rising.

Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year -- 16 of which were in Southeast Asia -- compared to 12 in 2013, according to the report released by the IMB's Kuala Lumpur-based piracy monitoring center.

Pirates killed four crew members, injured 13 and kidnapped nine from their vessels globally, it said.

"The global increase in hijackings is due to a rise in attacks against coastal tankers in Southeast Asia," IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan said in a statement accompanying the report.

"Gangs of armed thieves have attacked small tankers in the region for their cargoes, many looking specifically for marine diesel and gas oil to steal and then sell."

The Southeast Asian attacks made up the bulk of incidents reported globally.

The region saw 141 piracy incidents -- the vast majority of them in Indonesian waters -- in 2014. These included hijackings, boardings and attempted attacks that were thwarted.

That compares to 128 total in incidents in the region in 2013.

Pirates have plagued Southeast Asian waters for centuries, but stepped-up regional cooperation and maritime patrols had significantly reduced the problem in recent years.

The IMB has warned recently that effort needs to be strengthened once again.

The region is home to vital shipping lanes such as the South China Sea and the Malacca Strait separating Malaysia and Indonesia, through which one-third of global trade passes.

Waters off Somalia saw just three incidents in 2014, down from 160 in 2011, the IMB said.

The global total of 245 incidents is the lowest since 263 were recorded in 2007.