UNITR said there were 150 separate incidents last year alone.

Just two weeks ago Malaysian oil and gas tanker Oriental Glory was hijacked in the South China Sea, resulting in its valuable cargo being stolen, while its communications equipment and engine were damaged before the pirates set it adrift.

Fortunately the crew were unharmed.

This incident follows a similar one in June in which a Singapore-managed tanker was also targeted and left damaged in the same waters.

"This is the ninth attack recently … it's a big concern," International Maritime Bureau Kuala Lumpur Piracy Reporting Centre's Noel Choong reportedly told the AFP.

He added that ships should be vigilant in the area so pirates could not surprise them.

One way to combat the pirates is to take a proactive surveillance approach.

An option in this line is an integrated, panoramic, infrared thermal imaging surveillance system that can withstand a maritime environment.

HGH Infrared Systems offers Spynel, which it said would help ships in these dangerous waters with its early detection and long-range surveillance capabilities.

The company said Spynel was unique because it was the only thermal camera that could provide a 360-degree field of view with a very high resolution and the ability to spot a rigid-hulled inflatable boat at 15km with no image distortion or stitching.

The cameras can successfully operate at sea state level 5/6, basically rough to very rough seas, thanks to a gyro-stabilised platform.

Besides the mechanical stabilisation the cameras come with a sea specific stabilisation algorithm.

Spynel systems are in use on multiple French Navy warships for ship-based anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.