According to the latest quarterly report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Southeast Asia has recorded 51 piracy attacks year to date, surpassing the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) with 44 incidents. The IMB report shows a marked increase in attacks in Southeast Asia, compared with 35 piracy incidents for the same time period in 2019. Despite Singapore upping its efforts to tackle piracy by restructuring its Maritime Task Force in February 2020, attacks have increased significantly in the Singapore Strait. Fifteen incidents were reported between January and September 2020 compared with one in 2019. Incidents doubled in the Philippines where eight attacks were recorded in 2020, compared with four in 2019. However, maritime security experts want to reassure crew navigating the waters of Southeast Asia. "Fortunately, even if the overall numbers are higher for Southeast Asia as compared with the Gulf of Guinea, it's important to keep the nature of the incidents in mind," Thomas Timlen, Southeast Asia analyst at Risk Intelligence, told SAS. "Generally, the activity in Southeast Asia involves less violence."
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