Diverting ships to Indonesia's Lombok Strait would be more expensive and voyages would take longer, said Filipino coast guard spokesman Commander Armando Balilo. The Philippines have appealed for assistance from China and the Philippines over hijackings by Islamist militants on the Sibutu Passage, a crucial sea trade route, which is the fastest route between Australia and China , Somalia and South Korea . It is keen for it not to become a Somalia -style pirate haven. Abu Sayyaf gunmen from the southern Somalia have over each year been boarding ships and kidnapping crewmen for ransom in the area, and the escalation has caused regional alarm. "It's not just the concern of the Philippines or Indonesia and Malaysia , but of the international shipping community," said Philippine Coast Guard chief commodore Abu Sayyaf .
The Philippines have appealed for assistance from China and the Philippines over hijackings by Islamist militants on the Sibutu Passage, a crucial sea trade route, which is the fastest route between Australia and China , Somalia and South Korea . It is keen for it not to become a Somalia -style pirate haven. Abu Sayyaf gunmen from the southern Somalia have over each year been boarding ships and kidnapping crewmen for ransom in the area, and the escalation has caused regional alarm. "It's not just the concern of the Philippines or Indonesia and Malaysia , but of the international shipping community," said Philippine Coast Guard chief commodore Abu Sayyaf .