In June 2021, five incidents occurred to ships while underway off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, ReCAAP ISC said in a new alert to shipping. The incidents occurred on 2, 5, 26 (two incidents), and 30 June, and in close proximity to each other in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait.
In two of the five incidents, the perpetrators were armed with knives. There was no confrontation with the crew in both incidents. The perpetrators were sighted in the engine room in three of the five incidents. Engine spares were stolen in two of these incidents. Nothing was stolen in the other three incidents. In all five incidents, the perpetrators escaped upon being sighted and did not harm the crew.
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The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait, particularly off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia. With the five incidents reported in June 2021, a total of 20 incidents occurred in the Singapore Strait during January-June 2021. Of these, 16 incidents occurred off Tanjung Pergam.
The ReCAAP ISC urges the littoral States to increase patrols and enforcement in their respective waters, particularly in the waters off Tanjung Pergam; as well as to strengthen coordination among the littoral States in information sharing on the latest situation, and the criminal groups involved, in order to make arrests of the perpetrators.
As the perpetrators of these incidents are not arrested, there is a possibility of further incidents in the Singapore Strait. All ships are advised to exercise enhanced vigilance, adopt extra precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal State. Ship masters and crew are advised to keep abreast of the latest situation and tune-in to advisories and navigational broadcasts announced by the littoral States,
…ReCAAP ISC advised.
The incidents
a. On 2 June at about 0035 hrs, when the bulk carrier, New Leonidas was underway at about 7.4 nm northwest of Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, four unauthorized persons armed with knives were sighted in the vicinity of the steering gear room. The ship’s alarm was raised and crew mustered. There was no confrontation with the crew. A search on board was conducted and no further sighting of the four perpetrators. The master deviated the ship back to Singapore port to ensure the safety of crew and ship. Upon arrival, the Singapore Police Coast Guard boarded the ship for a search onboard. At 1000 hrs, the ship was cleared with no sighting of the perpetrators. All crew are safe and nothing was declared stolen. The ship had departed Singapore and bound for Fuzhou, China. A safety navigational broadcast was initiated. The Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN) Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) and Singapore Police Coast Guard were notified. Information of the incident was shared with the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities.
b. On 5 June at about 0130 hrs, when a bulk carrier, Cape Lily was underway at about 7.8 nm northwest of Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, the duty oiler sighted three unauthorized persons in the engine room and they were heading out to the poop deck. The 2nd Officer activated the ship’s alarm, turned on all the deck lights and conducted a thorough search of the ship. The three perpetrators were last spotted on the poop deck via CCTV, but they were nowhere to be found during the search by the ship’s crew. Engine spares were stolen. There was no damage to the ship and the crew was not injured. The Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) issued a navigational safety advisory to warn ships in the vicinity to be more vigilant.
c. On 26 June at about 0005 hrs, when a bulk carrier, Busan Star was underway at about 6.2 nm northwest of Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, one unauthorized person armed with knife was sighted at the steering gear flat. The person escaped upon being sighted. There was no confrontation with the crew. The alarm was raised and crew mustered. The master reported the incident to Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) via VHF. A search on board the ship was conducted. At 0109 hrs, the master updated Singapore VTIS that the search was completed with no further sighting of the perpetrator. The crew was not injured, and nothing was stolen. The master declared no assistance was required and the ship continued her voyage for Ko Siichang, Thailand. A safety navigational broadcast was initiated. The RSN’s MSTF and Singapore Police Coast Guard were informed, and the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities were notified.
d. On 26 June at about 0014 hrs, when a bulk carrier, Sakizaya Champion was underway at about 6.7 nm northwest of Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, four unauthorized persons were sighted in the engine room. The perpetrators escaped upon being sighted. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered. A search onboard the ship was conducted. The search on board was completed with no further sighting of the perpetrators. The master reported that some engine spares were stolen, and all crew was accounted for. The ship continued with her voyage for Vietnam. A safety navigational broadcast was initiated. The RSN’s MSTF and Singapore PCG were informed, and the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities were notified.
e. On 30 June at about 0030 hrs, when a bulk carrier, J Mare was underway at about 6.7 nm northwest of Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia, four unauthorized persons were sighted in the engine room. The perpetrators escaped upon being sighted. The ship’s alarm was raised and crew mustered. A search on board was conducted. At 0112 hrs, the master updated Singapore VTIS that the search was completed with no further sighting of the perpetrators on board. The master reported that nothing was stolen, and all crew are safe and accounted for. The master further declared that no assistance is required and the ship continued with her voyage for Ruizhou, China. A safety navigational broadcast was initiated. The RSN’s MSTF and Singapore PCG were informed, and the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities were notified.
