ABSTRACT
Introduction Piracy and armed robbery at sea in Southeast Asia have flourished primarily because of their diversity and ability to remain fluid. When compared to other known hot spots such as the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea, the fundamental difference in Southeast Asia is that the line between legal and illegal activity in the shipping sector is so thin – creating ample space for grey-area activity. This shade of grey is well embedded within the shipping culture in Southeast Asia, which is the primary reason the current (and predominant) pattern of hijacking of product tankers to siphon liquid product for black market resale is possible.
