“In Asia, by and large, they are simply opportunist thefts from the ships at anchor or passing through their waters. There’s been a handful of cases where tugs towing barges have been attacked and the barges and tugs have been stolen,” he said.

Mukundan said having private security guards on board vessels is not the long-term solution. He said naval patrols must continue. If they’re removed, he added, pirate attacks off the Somali coast will rise dramatically.