Stolen ships would be given a false and temporary registration and sailed off to Singapore or Hong Kong, where they would re-register under a different name. From there they would take a bona fide cargo and simply disappear, usually after radioing with engine trouble. Though Changco was eventually caught and executed, phantom piracy is now a serious problem in Southeast Asia. It has Hong Kong insurers particularly worried. There are several ongoing investigations in this area and signs are that sophisticated Chinese crime syndicates are behind the problem.
Pirates increasingly have access to communications monitoring equipment.
This means that if a ship sends off a mayday call, even by satellite, pirates can hear it and punish the crew. The IMO has said that when pirates order a ship not to make any form of transmission, ship s masters should comply. Ellen says that while the figures are still under control , the lack of official concern from governments is very worrying. Moreover, few crews are trained to deal with a pirate attack and fewer still travel under respected flags. Many ships are actually registered under flags of convenience .