In its weekly report for 17-23 July, ReCAAP ISC informs of one incident of armed robbery against a ship, reported by Focal Point (Japan) and Contact Point (Hong Kong). The incident took place in the early morning hours of 4 July in Bangladeshi waters and involved 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.
The crew was not injured. The master reported the incident to the local authority.
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.
The last actual incident of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebs Seas occurred on 23 March 2017 and the last attempted incident on 16 February 2018.
However, as the threat of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Sea is not eliminated, ReCAAP ISC maintains its advisory issued via the ReCAAP ISC Incident Alert dated 21 November 2016 to all ships to reroute from the area, where possible.