SINGAPORE (Kyodo) Pirates tried Monday to board a Japanese-operated tanker near the Malacca Strait but fled when the crew raised the vessel's alarm system, a regional piracy monitoring center said.
The foiled attack on the Pacific Harmony, a Panama-registered tanker, took place at about 2:40 a.m. off Singapore's eastern coast, the center said. Five men reportedly attempted to board the vessel from a boat but fled upon hearing the ship's alarm system.
Another tanker in the area, the MMM Kingston, a Malaysian-registered chemical tanker, was attacked about two hours later, the center said. Six men armed with long knives attempted to board the vessel from a speedboat.
The center said it believes that the same group of pirates was involved in both incidents.
"Ship masters and crew are advised to maintain vigilance and adopt precautionary measures as these are the fifth and sixth incidents that occurred in the vicinity since January," it said.
The Pacific Harmony has 21 crew members on board, including three Japanese officers, said an official of Asahi Tanker Co., which operates the tanker.
The Singapore Strait, linked to the Malacca Strait, is one of the world's busiest shipping routes, carrying about 25 percent of the world's cargo and oil supplies.