In its weekly report, 1-7 October, concerning armed robbery and piracy incidents against vessels in Asia, ReCAAP ISC informs of two piracy incidents that took place in Hong Kong and Tanzania, respectively. In both incidents, no crewmembers were injured.
According to the report, both incidents were CAT 4 incidents, marking the less severe incidents, where the crew remains unharmed and the perpetrators leave the vessel empty handed.
- 26 September
This incident took place in Hong Kong, China, onboard TSL Rosemary Bulk carrier.
While the bulk carrier was anchored, three perpetrators boarded the vessel through the anchor chain from a small wooden boat. They broke the forepeak store lock and stole a new mooring rope. In light of the event, the crew was alerted and mustered and proceeded towards the forecastle.
When the smugglers realised that the crew was alerted, they jumped overboard and escaped. Later on, the Malaysian Coast Guard boarded the ship to investigate the incident.
- 3 October
This incident took place in Tanzania, onboard the ASD Jaguar Offshore supply vessel.
During the towing of ASD Jaguar by the Bateleur tug boat, the tug master saw three smugglers boarding the ASD Jaguar which was bound for Bhavnagar, (west of Gopnath Point) for demolition.
The perpetrators stole ship stores and escaped.
Thus, the ship master informed VTS Khambat about the incident, who in turn reported to the Indian Coast Guard.
VTS Khambat recommended the master to take photos of the perpetrators if possible and hand it over to the local agent for further investigation. A questionnaire was forwarded to the master for ascertaining further details.
Now, the investigation is being conducted by the Indian Marine Police.
ReCAAP ISC’s latest figures for August 2019 revealed that both the total number of incidents and the number of actual incidents reported during January-August 2019 were the lowest among the 13-year period of January-August of 2007-2019.
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.
