KUALA LUMPUR — Pirates armed with machetes attacked three ships, including a chemical tanker, in Indonesian waters close to Singapore, injuring some onboard and stealing more than US$8,000, a top maritime official said today.

"We are certain they are Indonesians. It is the same gang that carried out the three attacks. We have warned other ships to be on high alert," P. Mukundan, director of the Londan-based International Maritime Bureau told AFP .

The container ships — the Cape York and the Sinar Batam — and the chemical tanker Mont Blanc were all boarded near the Indonesian island of Bintan early this week, Mukundan said.

"The violent attack occured early hours of the day. The pirates injured some crews and a captain without any provocation," said Mukundan, on a two-day working visit to Malaysia.

Major deterrent

Catching the pirates and punishing them is "the major deterrent" to any more pirate attacks.

"If we don't, these gangs will launch more attacks," he said.

The number of attacks on ships reported worldwide in the first nine months of this year was 271, up from 253 in the same period last year, IMB said in a report released here late last month.

IMB, which has its Piracy Reporting Centre based here, said hijackings by organised crime syndicates increased by one third, from 15 to 20, over the nine months.

Mukundan urged seafarers to monitor IMB broadcasts for frequent updates on hot spots, and pressed owners to install electric fences for ships.

"Ships that have installed the electrical fences will help crewmembers prevent pirates from coming onboard," he said.

"Once pirates board the ships, there is nothing much the crew can do." — AFP