Jemaah Islamijah (JI) is believed to be the terrorist group planning to attack oil tankers transiting the Straits of Malacca. National security authorities of the littoral states of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand have raised the security level to High Alert after receiving intelligence reports on the threat.
Here in Malaysia, police have assigned seven patrol boats and two airplanes to patrol the straits. The pirates are expected to be acting as fishermen and the incidents are expected to take place in areas were fishing activity is high.
The map above, indicating potential piracy hotspots, is from The Straits Times. The map below shows Scorpio’s track in October 2009. Click maps for larger versions.
Pirate activity has been quite low i the Malacca Straits for several years due to increased patrols and surveillance. The world’s focus in this business has dramatically changed to the east coast of Africa and the “Pirate Alley” along the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Although the main targets of the pirates, here as in the NW Indian Ocean always will be valuable the cargo ships, there’s nothing stopping the thugs from trying to get some petty cash from transiting yachts. Better staying alert at all times.