They pose such a danger to the crews that you'd think they would be eliminated on sight, wherever they are found, open ocean, island hidey-hole across from Singapore, Bight of Benin, dive bar in Thailand, wherever.
From MarineLink:
The number of reported attacks against ships has doubled in Asia over the first half of 2020, elevating security concerns for mariners across the region.
A total of 51 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships (including 50 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported in Asia from January through June 2020, up from 28 incidents (25 actual and three attempted) during the same period for 2019, according to ReCAAP Information Sharing Center's (ISC) latest half-yearly report.....MORE
A growing number of attacks occurred in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, with 16 incidents reported on board ships underway in the Singapore Strait, compared to eight during the same period in 2019. Piracy has also been on the rise in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and the South China Sea.
While the number of incidents has grown, the severity of the attacks has not. In 74% of cases perpetrators were unarmed and vessel crews unharmed.
“We are deeply concerned with the nearly two-fold increase in the number of incidents reported in Asia in the first half of 2020 compared to the same period last year, even though most of them are at low severity level,” said Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC. “‘Small’ crimes, if not addressed, can embolden criminals to commit more serious acts.”...
Related, July 25:
"Pirates Kidnap Seven Russian Sailors in Gulf of Guinea"
That may be an error on the part on the pirates.*
