|
|
Article: Hard times for pirates in busy world waterway; Attacks fall sharply in Asia's Malacca Strait, host to 50,000 ships yearly.(WORLD)
- Article from:
- The Christian Science Monitor
- Article date:
- October 30, 2006
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2006 The Christian Science Publishing Society. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Simon Montlake Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
BANGKOK, THAILAND -- Regional cooperation on policing the Malacca Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, has led to a sharp fall this year in piracy attacks, cutting the cost of insuring cargo plying its hazardous waters. Crews are now considered less likely to become victims of "maritime muggings" by seaborne assailants.
That's a relief to countries such as Japan and China that depend on Middle East oil imports that transit the 500-mile passageway that snakes between Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. The US also has a stake in securing a commercial choke point that is ...