The Indonesian National Shipowners Association (INSA) is telling its members to travel in convoy when transiting anywhere near Mindanao in the far south of neighbouring Philippines.
Speaking with Channel News Asia, Budhi Halim, secretary-general of INSA, suggested ships should avoid travelling alone in the region where piracy levels have shot up in recent weeks, with Philippine militant group Abu Sayyaf behind most of the attacks.
“They must move in a convoy, don’t travel alone. If they are two or three vessels, they can travel together,” Halim told the Singgaporean TV news channel.
Authorities from Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines are meeting in Jakarta today to discuss regional security, with joint patrols in the Sulu and Sulawesi Seas to be planned.
