In its weekly report for 12-18 November, ReCAAP ISC informed of two attempted incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia. One incident occurred at Alpha Anchorage, Batangas Bay, Philippines and another one at the Singapore Strait, which has been a key area of concern for maritime security in recent months.
The first incident involved the Vietnam-flagged chemical tanker ‘GT Equality’ approximately 4.8 nm southeast of Tanjung Piai, Johor, Malaysia, in the westbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait, on 5 November.
While the chemical tanker was departing from Tanjung Pelepas, Johor, Malaysia, six perpetrators in two speed boats attempted to board the ship.
Upon sighting of the two speed boats, the alarm was raised. The master increased the speed and took evasive manoeuvres.
The perpetrators aborted the attempt to board the ship. The ship resumed her voyage heading easterly and crew was safe.
The second incident involved the Marshall Islands-flagged tanker ‘Silver Millie’ while at Alpha Anchorage, Batangas Bay, Batangas City, Philippines, on 9 November.
While the tanker was dropping its anchor, the duty anchor detail of the watch noticed a perpetrator trying to climb through the ship’s anchor chain.
The duty officer shook the hawse pipe, causing the perpetrator to fall into the water. The perpetrator escaped towards an unknown direction.
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.
In its recent report for the first nine months of 2019, the ReCAAP ISC expressed concerns about the increase in the number of incidents reported onboard ships while underway in the Singapore Strait.
Only in January-October 2019, three incidents of unauthorized boarding of ships in locations of close proximity to each other were reported in the western sector of Singapore Strait.