(AFP) - Malaysia today began a 10-day naval operation to combat piracy in the busy Straits of Malacca with neighbouring Indonesia.

First Admiral Abdul Aziz Jaafar, deputy navy fleet commander, said the operation involved 16 officers and 120 personnel along with four frigates - two each from the navies of the two nations.

The Straits of Malacca is located between Indonesia's Sumatra island and Malaysia.

Abdul Aziz said the biannual joint exercise was aimed at countering maritime security threats on the shipping industry.

Psychological pressure

Such naval operations would put intense psychological pressure on pirates attacking seafarers, he was quoted as saying by Bernama in Penang.

Indonesia's First Admiral Slamet Soebandi said Jakarta was keen to boost security cooperation with Kuala Lumpur, adding that such exercises should be held four times a year instead of two.

The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre in October said there had been a total of 253 actual and attempted attacks on ships worldwide in the first nine months of this year.

Indonesian waters were by far the worst, accounting for 71 of the cases.

Malaysia recorded 15 actual or attempted attacks, Bangladesh 19 and India 22.

"Armed pirates in speed boats and gun boats open fire on ship/yachts and rob or hijack them. Some crew have been injured or killed in the past," the report said.