First there were planes sent to hit the New York Trade Centre, then there were trains blown up at Madrid mainline stations, now fears are growing that ships could be the next vehicle for terror.

Navies from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia are joining forces to attack pirates in the Malacca Strait between Sumatra and Malaysia: the worst hit area for piracy in the world.

Now the US is considering joining the flotilla as navy chiefs are worried a terror group could link up with a pirate group to hi-jack an oil tanker and use it as a floating bomb.