A spate of pirate raids on ships in the Malacca Strait could tempt terrorists to stage a seaborne attack, the vice-commandant of the US Coast Guard said Friday.

"We have some concerns that what the pirates might be doing is showing the terrorists where opportunities exist," Vice-Admiral Terry Cross told reporters.

Cross, who is on a tour of Asia to bolster maritime cooperation and port security, was speaking against the background of five pirate attacks on ships in the Malacca and Singapore straits in the past six weeks.

The Malacca Strait is used by about 50,000 ships a year carrying a third of world trade, and the ease with which pirates board vessels has given rise to concern that terrorists could hijack a tanker to use as a floating bomb or to block the vital channel and disrupt world trade.

Coordinated patrols

In the latest attack, a gang of pirates attempted to board a huge Japanese-owned crude oil tanker off Indonesia's Karimun islands, where the southern tip of the Malacca Strait joins the Singapore Strait.

The tanker managed to outrun the pirates, but in four earlier attacks ships were boarded and robbed and crew members were kidnapped.

Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia last year began coordinated patrols in the Malacca Strait, and Malaysia has announced it will also place armed and uniformed police officers on board tugboats and barges plying the waterway.

The government has, however, rejected suggestions that the United States or other foreign navies be allowed to help patrol the strait.

Cross said there was international concern about pirate activity in the Malacca Strait, which he described as "a very difficult problem".

"We believe solving that problem is the responsibility of the nations in the region. Some progress is being made, we hope more can be made in the future," he said.
A US Coast Guard team would visit Malaysia to look into port security arrangements and Malaysian maritime offcials have been invited to the US, he said.

Cross leaves for neighbouring Singapore on Saturday before going on to Indonesia.