Fewer cases of piracy, robbery in Straits of Malacca

A file picture of Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency officials standing with six Indonesian pirates who were caught while trying to rob a vessel off the coast of Tanjung Piai in Johor.

The seas around the Straits of Malacca and Singapore have become safer, a situation experts attribute to increased enforcement against pirates in what is one of the world's busiest trade routes.

There has been just one reported case of piracy or robbery in the Straits of Malacca in the first 11 months of this year, according to the latest monthly report of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.