By Budi Satriawan

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, May 5 (Reuters) – Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed on Thursday to conduct coordinated maritime patrols after a spate of ship hijackings by Islamist militants within the southern Philippines.

Most of the piracy within the space is the work of militants from the Abu Sayyaf group working out of lawless Philippine islands. Indonesia has warned that the issue may attain ranges seen off Somalia.

Indonesian port authorities in some areas have stopped issuing permits to ships taking coal via the southern Philippines due to the assaults.

“We will undertake coordinated patrols in the maritime areas of our common concern,” Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi mentioned after a gathering of the nations’ navy chiefs and international ministers within the Indonesian metropolis of Yogyakarta.

The southern Philippines shares maritime borders with Indonesia and Malaysia they usually signed an settlement in 2002 to strengthen border safety in response to growing cross-border assaults by militants of the Abu Sayyaf group, however they’ve but to mount coordinated naval patrols.

Coordinated patrols contain voyages by the totally different navies working in their very own territorial waters.

Indonesia final month referred to as for joint maritime patrols, which might contain ships from the three navies patrolling collectively and crossing into one another’s territorial waters. But the Philippines mentioned it wished separate however coordinated patrols to establish protected corridors the place ships can journey.

Indonesia is the world’s largest thermal coal exporter and provides 70 p.c of the Philippines’ coal imports.

Abu Sayyaf militants have grow to be infamous for kidnapping over the previous 15 years or so and have earned thousands and thousands of {dollars} in ransoms. They have acquired fashionable weapons, high-powered boats and communications tools.

Marsudi mentioned the neighbours would additionally arrange a hotline to enhance cooperation and share intelligence.

“We share the urgent need to take action to ensure our citizens feel protected in undertaking their activities in the area,” she mentioned.

Procedures for the patrols within the Sulu and Celebes seas could be labored out at a follow-up assembly, she mentioned.

Analysts say $40 billion price of cargo passes via these waters a yr, together with supertankers from the Indian Ocean that can’t use the crowded Malacca Strait.

The militants, who killed a Canadian hostage final month, and who maintain greater than a dozen foreigners, had been prior to now linked to al Qaeda and have extra just lately voiced assist for Islamic State.

The United States advises the Philippine navy and has given about $200 million in communications and surveillance tools to the three nations’ maritime forces over the previous decade. (Additional reporting by Manuel Mogato in MANILA, Jakarta Bureau; Writing by Fergus Jensen; Editing by Robert Birsel)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016.