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High sea pirate attacks soar

LONDON, England -- Violence, kidnapping and murder on the high seas continued to rise out of control last year, a global maritime organisation reported.

"The figures showed an increased use of violence during attacks, particularly the rising number of instances where firearms were used instead of knives," the International Maritime Bureau said in its 2001 report.

Attacks were often carried out by well-organised teams of hired mercenaries who will often murder an entire ship's crew rather than risk leaving witnesses.

Slayings at sea increased to at least 21, six more than last year, the IMB said.

The yachting world was shaken in December when masked attackers shot dead legendary New Zealand yachtsman Peter Blake. Blake was gunned down when his rifle jammed as he defended his yacht Seamaster in the mouth of the Amazon River.

In another macabre attack in August, a Canadian yachtsman drifted for two days, incapacitated by two severe wounds to his neck. He was only rescued when his yacht ran aground off Mexico, Reuters news agency reported.

Hijackings doubled to 16, with Indonesia's Aceh province emerging as a black spot, the IMB said.

"During the year, a new trend in piracy emerged in the northern part of the Malacca Straits ... kidnap and ransom," the report said.

On the same day in June, Indonesian naval forces stormed a hijacked Singaporean tanker, the Selayang, while just along the coast a different gang of pirates was kidnapping the crew of another, the Tirta Niaga.