The seas around Indonesia are the worst in the world for pirate attacks, an international watchdog said in its annual report today, warning that maritime terrorism had also become a reality.

The Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said the Oct 6 attack o­n the French supertanker MT Limburg showed that ships had become vulnerable to terrorism.

One crew member was killed and some 90,000 barrels of oil were released into the Gulf of Aden after a small boat packed with explosives rammed into the tanker.

The centre said it was warning all tankers approaching ports in the Middle East, Pakistan and Indonesia to be aware of the threat posed by terrorists.

Coastal states must ensure that their approaches to their ports are made more secure, it said. "Post Limburg we cannot continue to hope for the best, and ignore its lessons."