In its latest weekly piracy report, ReCAAP ISC informed of one incident of armed robbery against the Panama-flagged container ship ‘Ocean Nhava Shiva’, while anchored at Chittagong outer anchorage, Bangladesh, on 19 July.
While at anchor, an unknown number of perpetrators boarded the ship. They stole three mooring ropes and escaped from the ship. The crew was not injured. The master reported the incident to the local authority.
This is the second armed robbery in the region over the last two weeks. In last week’s piracy report, ReCAAP ISC informed of a similar incident involving the Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier ‘Medi Firenze’, while anchored at Chittagong outer anchorage “Alpha”.
Eight perpetrators armed with knives boarded the ship from a craft using ropes attached to hooks. The perpetrators tied up the deck watchman, stole three mooring ropes and escaped.
However, in its half yearly report for January-June 2018, ReCAAP ISC recorded a total of 40 incidents against ships in Asia, which is the lowest number of incidents since 10 years for the same period. It also marks a 15% year-on-year decrease.
The ReCAAP ISC urges ship master and crew to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships to the nearest coastal State and flag State, exercise vigilance and adopt relevant preventive measures taking reference from the Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.
