Asia-Pacific

ASEAN may escort ships in Arab Sea

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-20 13:50

JAKARTA - Indonesian Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Friday that ASEAN countries considered to deploy forces to Arab Sea to secure the ships from the region during the journey at the sea.

The statement comes as many ships have been taken hostages by Somalian pirates, including the ships from Indonesia and Singapore.

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"We are considering now to send a combined-taskforces from several countries, but we must also review its effectiveness," the minister told press conference after meeting of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono with ASEAN defense ministers at the State Palace here.

Purnomo said that it had been suggested that navy officer to escort the ships passing though the sea.

"It has been mulled whether to place them in a separate ship or to station them inside the commercial ship," he said.

An Indonesian ship carrying nickel had been taken hostaged by Somalian pirates in Arab Sea, the pirate release all the 20 Indonesian crews after the owner of the ship PT Samudra Indonesia paid over $3.5 million ransom this month.

Days after the release, a ship with Singaporean flag has also been taken hostage by Somalian pirates. Thirteen of the ship crews are Indonesians.