An international piracy watchdog today welcomed the start last week of US and Indian navy patrols of the Malacca Straits, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, to curb pirate attacks.

"We hail any form of patrols. It will curb piracy activities," Noel Choong, regional manager of the Piracy Reporting Centre based in Kuala Lumpur told AFP .

He said the joint patrols were timely as there was concern that ships in the area could be used in terror attacks.

"They can hijack an oil tanker and ram it into a port," he said.

The US and Indian patrols were reportedly started as part of global efforts against terrorism.

About 600 ships, including tankers, ply the Malacca Straits daily. Japan and other eastern countries are dependent on the Malacca Straits for their trade with the rest of the world.

However, the shipping lane, which separates Malaysia and Indonesia, is plagued by hit-and-run attacks by pirates searching for cash from ships' safes.

Drop in numbers

Choong said piracy in the Malacca Straits had dropped since last year due to intensive patrols by Malaysian security forces.

"But security in Malacca Straits still remains a concern," he said.

The number of pirate attacks in the Malacca Straits dropped to 17 last year from 75 in 2000, the centre said its latest annual report.

The US and Indian navies patrolling the Straits are expected to share intelligence and information with the authorities and provide an escort for cargo ships, the official Bernama news agency said.

Indonesia accounted for most of the world's piracy attacks in the first three months of 2002, Choong said.

"We hope Indonesian security authorities will increase patrols to contain piracy," he said.