The Royal Malaysian Navy will be placing more emphasis on security in the Straits of Malacca this year, in anticipation of a rise in pirate activity due to the global economic crisis.

Navy chief Admiral Datuk Seri Abdul Aziz Jaafar said the RMN would work closely with the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on the matter.

"MMEA will focus on enforcement while we take care of security and sovereignty of our waters," he said yesterday.

The RMN will also bring back the KD Sri Indera Sakti, currently on a patrol mission in the Gulf of Aden, in February to be deployed in the straits.

Aziz said the RMN would cooperate with its counterparts in Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore in stepping up patrols in the straits.

On Jan 1, International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre head Noel Choong said the global economic downturn could lead to an increase in pirate activity.

While it remains to be seen if the situation will be as bad as during the 1997 economic crisis when pirates ran rampant in the straits, he had said increased pirate activity remains a looming possibility.

Choong had pointed out that Indonesia had already stepped up patrols and urged maritime authorities to increase surveillance and patrols in the Straits of Malacca, the South China Sea and Bangladeshi and Indonesian waters.

On the Sri Indera Sakti, Aziz said the RMN would not extend the mission in the gulf as it would be too expensive.

He said this was the same reason why they declined to join the international Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, comprising navies of several countries that use the pirate-infested gulf as a trade route.

Aziz said that while the RMN was not directly involved with CTF 150, it still maintained cooperation through the exchange of information.

He noted that the navy's efforts in sending security forces to the gulf, and Sri Indera Sakti's efforts in staving off pirates, have earned the country greater recognition from the United Nations and its peers.

Malaysia was among the first countries to deploy warships in the gulf following the hijacking of MISC ships MT Bunga Melati Dua and MT Bunga Melati Lima on Aug 19 and 29 last year respectively.

After the release of the two ships about a month later, the Sri Indera Sakti was deployed in the gulf and has since saved two foreign ships from pirates.

On Dec 17 last year, it scared off pirates who had already boarded the Chinese vessel, Zhenhua 4, and again on Jan 1 it stopped pirates from boarding the Indian ship Abul Kalam Azad.