T
Toshiie Maeda
Guest
Thursday January 6, 2011
Bid to curb pirate attacks in Johor
By MOHD FARHAAN SHAH
[email protected]
JOHOR BARU: The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency is beefing up security along Johor waters following four cases of piracy recently.
The pirates, armed with weapons such as pistols and Rambo knives, would strike in the wee hours of the morning and steal spare parts as well as cash from crew members.
The agency’s (southern region) commander First Admiral Zulkifli Abu Bakar said most cases occurred in the waters off Tanjung Piai and Tanjung Ayam.
“The pirates would normally attack at between 3am and 6am as not many of the crew are on duty then,” he said yesterday.
“These pirates, armed with pistols and Rambo knife would tie up the crew and rob them,” he said, adding that so far nobody had been injured.
He added that there were cases where pirates stole laptops belonging to the ship’s crew, vessel spare parts, and cash up to RM20,000.
He also said that based on vic tims’ reports, the pirates are believed to be foreigners. First Admiral Zulkifli’s advice was to always stay alert especially when anchored.
“Some of these vessels also did not inform us of their locations or their arrival, which is an offence.
“We also urge vessels to place more men on duty during stops and report immediately to the agency if they see pirates,” he said.
He said the situation was quite alarming as more than 11 cases of piracy were reported last year.
