An MSC Containership and a bulk carrier have been involved in two separate, but possible linked piracy attacks over the weekend, with crew from the MSC Vancouver being subjected to attack from seven men wielding knives.
In other parts of the world, the Suez Canal has set up a scheme that will see a new police department increasing shipping security along the canal in a bid to eliminate the threat of piracy.
The International Maritime Organisation is a key organisation for promoting the safety of ships at sea, and since its inception in the mid-twentieth century, it has gone on to create 50 treties and hundreds of codes that seek to improve the safety of international trade.
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David Rider, Content Editor and Intelligence Consultant for CSO Alliance, said “pirates in Southeast Asia tend to target small coastal tankers carrying marine fuel oil cargoes. Recent attacks have seen groups of pirates armed with handguns and parangs (machetes) board small tankers, take the crews hostage and then rendezvous with other tankers to offload the cargo. They then destroy communication and navigation equipment before leaving the hijacked vessel. In one incident, pirates left a fake IED on board to slow down the authorities.
