Malaysia has beefed up security at its ports amid fears of possible terrorist attacks following a bomb blast that ripped through a luxury Jakarta hotel, marine police said today.

The tighter security measures include patrolling isolated waterways and closely checking all cargo ships and their crew, including identifying their political ideologies and religions, Marine Commander Muhamad Muda was quoted as saying by the Bernama news agency.

"Previously, the marine police only concentrated on the waters, now we will also focus on the ports," he said.

Hotel attack

The measures were necessary to check if ships carried any hazardous materials and explosives that could be dangerous if they landed in the hands of terrorists, he said.

"The strict security is also due to the increasing number of merchant ships using our ports," he said.

At least 14 people were killed and 150 injured in Tuesday's Jakarta blast, which police said had parallels with last year's attack on the resort island of Bali, reinforcing suspicions it was carried out by the Jemaah Islamiah regional network group. - AFP