Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia to designate shipping corridor amid rising piracy

Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia have agreed to designate a transit corridor for commercial vessels to tackle growing piracy and hijacking incidents in the southern Philippines, reported Reuters.

The Abu Sayyaf militants have kidnapped nearly 20 Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crew in 2016 so far.

The rise in the frequency of attacks has caused some Indonesian port authorities to stop issuing permits to ships transporting coal to the southern Philippines.

The three nations have also agreed to increase air and sea patrols for commercial ships in the common maritime areas to avoid potential hijacks, kidnaps and robbery.

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