In its weekly report for 4-10 February, ReCAAP ISC informed of three armed robberies against ships in Asia. Of the three incidents, two occurred to ships underway in the Singapore Strait and another occurred onboard a tug boat while anchored at Martabari Anchorage, Bangladesh.
The ReCAAP ISC issued an alert to shipping on 9 February informing of two incidents within an interval of an hour to ships while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.
With these two incidents, a total of six incidents have been reported in the Singapore Strait since January 2020, all in the eastbound lane of the TSS.
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 incidents
The first incident involved the Indian-flagged tanker ‘Swarna Jayanti’.
While underway about 6.2 nm from Nongsa Point, Pulau Batam, Indonesia in the eastbound lane of the TSS in the Singapore Strait, a perpetrator was sighted in the engine room.
The master raised the alarm, mustered the crew and conducted search for the perpetrator.
Some valves (engine spares) were reported missing from the engine room. The master reported incident to Singapore VTIS East. The crew was not injured.
The second incident involved the Marshall Islands-flagged bulk carrier ‘New Spirit’.
While underway 5.1 nm from Nongsa Point, Pulau Batam, Indonesia in the eastbound lane of the TSS in the Singapore Strait, six perpetrators armed with knives were seen in the engine room.
The perpetrators ran onto the deck when they saw the crew. The master mustered and accounted for all crew in the bridge.
He reported the incident to Singapore VTIS East and requested to go to Singapore to conduct further search.
Upon arrival in Singapore, the Singapore Police Coast Guard boarded the ship to conduct further search.
No perpetrators were found and engine spares including 20 pieces circular brakes, 130m cables and 25 pieces magnetic contactors were stolen.
The third incident involved the Singaporean-flagged tug boat ASL Amber.
While anchored at Martabari Anchorage, Bangladesh, on 7 February, the duty A/B sighted two suspicious fishing boats approaching the tug boat. He saw several perpetrators armed with knives boarding the tug boat.
He reported to the OOW, who immediately activated the general alarm. The perpetrators escaped from the tug boat when they realised their presence was discovered.
The crew conducted a search and found some mooring ropes and shackles were stolen. The crew was not injured and there was no damage to the tug boat.