Two pirate attacks on the South China Sea within days of each other have marked the return of a scourge after many years' absence.
The Panama-flagged bulker JKM Muheiddine was attacked September 30 followed by an attack on a tanker Sun Geranium on October 1, a spokesman for the Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia told Lloyd's List.
In each case, eight pirates, armed with long knives, tied up the ship's master and crew, and took personal belongings and cash.
In an editorial, the London-based shipping newspaper urged governments and the United Nations into action in suppressing the real threat of capture at sea, and the plight of the 259 seafarers still held to ransom off the Horn of Africa.
The UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ongoing work with the UN and governments to combat acts of piracy on dangerous waters is essential but military action is now needed to prevent the loss of more lives, Lloyd's List said.
The Panama-flagged bulker JKM Muheiddine was attacked September 30 followed by an attack on a tanker Sun Geranium on October 1, a spokesman for the Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia told Lloyd's List.
In each case, eight pirates, armed with long knives, tied up the ship's master and crew, and took personal belongings and cash.
In an editorial, the London-based shipping newspaper urged governments and the United Nations into action in suppressing the real threat of capture at sea, and the plight of the 259 seafarers still held to ransom off the Horn of Africa.
The UN's International Maritime Organisation (IMO) ongoing work with the UN and governments to combat acts of piracy on dangerous waters is essential but military action is now needed to prevent the loss of more lives, Lloyd's List said.