Pirates have attacked two containerships as the two vessels were sailing along the straits of Malacca and Singapore, according to the Journal of Commerce.
The attacks – which took place over Friday 21 and Saturday 22, August – involved 4-5 attackers, who were believed to be armed with knives and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia (ReCAAP) has stated that the attackers were behind a total of six incidents.
The Hong Kong-flagged Maersk Lebu was involved in the piracy scare and raised the alarm after its crew saw four unauthorised personnel in the engine room.
No crew were harmed as the pirates fled the containership.
Piracy has been a major issue in Asia in recent months, with at least one incident reported each month between January-June, 2015.
16 more incidents were recorded in 2015 in comparison to 2014, with the most number of attacks being carried out on tankers over other types of vessels.
A piracy attack also took place in Nigeria aboard a cargo recently where one Greek captain was killed, further highlighting how important the issue is for global shipping and the safety of crew members.
