Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships At Sea in Asia - ReCAAP August 2014 Report
ReCAAP ISC report that the situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia continues to improve in August 2014 with a total of 11 incidents.
Of those 11 incidents, they comprise eight actual incidents and three attempted incidents reported in August 2014. Compared to the same period in 2013, the number of incidents remained fairly consistent.
The number of actual incidents reported in August 2014 is lowest among the same period of 2010-2013.
Majority of the incidents reported in August 2014 were petty thefts. However, there was one Category 1 (relatively more severe in nature) incident involving the siphoning of lube oil from V.L.14 on 28 Aug 14 in the South China Sea and one Category 2 (moderately severe) incident of armed robbery incident onboard Mongolia-registered water barge, Dews on 10 Aug 14 off Tanjung Ramunia, Malaysia.
Of the 11 incidents reported in August 2014, five of them occurred at ports and anchorages in Indonesia, three in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), two in the South China Sea (SCS) and one in Malaysia.
Incident of Siphoning of Lube Oil from V.L. 14
On 28 Aug 14 at or about 2040 hrs, six pirates armed with guns boarded a Thailand-registered oil product tanker, V.L. 14 in the South China Sea, at approximately 30 nm north of Pulau Tioman, Malaysia (03° 24’N - 104° 04.80’E). The vessel of 1074gwt was en route to Bangkok, carrying 1,296 tonnes of lube oil. The pirates came alongside in a wooden speed boat, approached the vessel on the port quarter, andboarded from the stern. They broke the bridge glass, gained access to the crew’s cabins and gathered the crew in the engine room. The pirates temporarily took control of the vessel and sailed about 10 nm away from the location of boarding. They ordered the crew to open all cargo valves, activate the cargo pump and transfer the lube oil to two tankers which came alongside. The pirates also stole the crew’s personal belongings, damaged the navigational and communication system before they left V.L. 14 at or about 0400 hrs on 29 Aug 14.
Conclusion
The situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia continues to improve in August 2014 with a decline in the number of incidents from 21 cases in June 2014 to 14 cases in July 2014 and 11 cases in August 2014. Although there has been a continuous decline in the number of incidents over the past three months, the ReCAAP ISC is concerned about incidents involving the siphoning of fuel/oil from small tankers and therefore urged all ship owners and master to continue to exercise enhanced vigilance while operating in the region, and adopt appropriate precautionary measures highlighted in the ReCAAP ISC Special Report on “Incidents of siphoning of fuel/oil at sea in Asia”.
Read ReCAAP ISC Full Report
Subscribe to our newsletter. Receive a weekly round-up of all piracy-related & maritime situational awareness news.
OCEANUSLive.org
Information, Security, Safety; Shared
Submitted by Team@oceanuslive.org