Malaysia's new maritime unit aimed at fighting piracy and other criminal activities will be launched in November, said the official Bernama news agency.

Bernama said the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency would initially operate with 20 patrol boats and would be subsequently increased to 60 ships in January 2006.

It said the government had issued a tender for the purchase of 25 new patrol boats to beef up the agency whose responsibilites include ensuring security in Malaysia's territorial waters, combat piracy and to conduct search and rescue operations.

The Malacca Straits, shared among Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapaore, is one of the world's busiest stretches of water, with 50,000 ships carrying about a third of the globe's trade passing through it each year.

However the strait, 960 kilometres long and 1.2 kilometres wide at its narrowest point, is notoriously vulnerable to pirate attacks and governments in the region also believe it is tempting for terrorists.