As a publisher, I have to admit that I love a bit of maritime piracy. Why? Because readers love to read about it. Any publisher that keeps their eye on Google analytics will tell you a good piracy story can bring hundreds, if not thousands, of visitors to their website.
As someone also in the maritime industry, I absolutely deplore piracy. Being based in Singapore since 2001, nothing makes me angrier than seeing vessels in this region attacked by pirates. Singapore is a first world nation, isn’t it? The world’s leading maritime centre? Surely piracy couldn’t occur this close to home?
Well, this isn’t exactly news, but Southeast Asia has been declared the new ‘hotspot’ for piracy by ReCAAP, with 183 incidents in 2014.
The maritime industry is crucial to Singapore, not to mention Malaysia, and President Jokowi’s new Indonesia. Additionally, we’re not only talking about piracy as a threat to the maritime industry, but by extension it is a threat to regional trade including that of oil, gas, whatever.
So what is being done about it?
Via: http://splash247.com
