Record

mid-morning on Tuesday, the 5th of August 2003 by Chad

Pirate attacks are at an all time high this year according to the Associated Press. Well, all time considering records are only kept for 12 years.

Pirate attacks worldwide hit record numbers in the first half of 2003 with the heaviest violence in the waters of Indonesia and Bangladesh, a maritime watchdog group said Thursday.
The shipping industry suffered 234 attacks from January through June this year, up 37 percent compared with 171 incidents during the same period in 2002, the International Maritime Bureau said in a report released by its Kuala Lumpur-based piracy watch center.
More attacks are not the only worrying trend. Reverend David Ellis, a senior chaplain who counsels victims of piracy, says attackers these days have guns and are not afraid to use them.
“If they do not find money on board, they make life difficult for the captain, the officers and the crew,” he said. “And they are more likely to become violent if they can’t get cash.”

Sounds like pretty traditional pirate activity. Of course the attacks are centered mostly around Muslim dominated areas of South-East Asia. Indonesia is marked as one of the worst. Coupled with the terrorist attacks in the area, it is becoming a troublesome area to live and do business. I suspect a full blown war may break out in the area, and then piracy will be the least of their issues.