Vessel should proceed to anchor in Bahia de Pozuelo
The Sculd P&I Club reports on board robbery incident thanks to Francisco Villanova in Venepandi, correspondent in Caracas, who provided the following information :
Francisco Villanova reports that Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela is experiencing piracy or onboard robbery which Members and the Club should be aware of in order to take relevant precautions. If vessels waiting for berth in Jose and other oil terminals in that area are ordered to anchor in the vicinity of Barcelona City, the master should reject such an order. We suggest that the Master says that the vessel will proceed to anchor in Bahia de Pozuelos in the vicinity of Puerto la Cruz city.
The point is that the bandits climb on board, taking advantage of darkness of night, lack of vigilance and that the port is located in an uninhabited area far from the city, harbour and naval bases.
There have already been cases in which the crew has been gagged, threatened with high calibre weapons and crewmembers have been beaten. When masters report these incidents, local authorities almost order them not reported them to the P&I clubs to avoid creating panic among crewmembers of other ships. However, certain precautions can be taken to prevent or avoid such incidents.
Please note that owners should be aware that these people are willing to kill if necessary; hence the best precaution is to avoid these incidents from arising.
Venepandis suggestions are:
- Always anchor in the Bahia de Pozuelos near the site of Guaraguao, in front of the city of Puerto la Cruz.
- Have 24-hour surveillance on the main deck or the bridge.
- Point searchlights at boats with several persons on board near the vessel to let them know that they are under observation.
- Warn the harbour master and shipping agency at once; if no answer, call your P&I representative.
- If a boat or boats do not back down, use the whistle.
- If these pirates or bandits succeed in getting on board, do not offer any resistance. Do as instructed by the intruders, since, aside from being armed, they may be under the influence of drugs and are usually aggressive.
- If possible, report immediately to local P&I correspondent for help contacting and dealing with the National Guard, Army etc.
Venepandi is working together with the local authorities to stop this scourge which is now intensifying. The head of the port is warning masters and asking them to use of a signal so that other vessels are notified. The alerting signal consists of five long whistle blasts at intervals of one second for every blast and waiting roughly 10 seconds for the next signal.
The boats are small fishing vessels carrying many people who are not involved in fishing.
Source: The Skuld P&I Club
