News: Pirates & Robbers Still Threaten in SE Asia

Piracy continues to threaten seafarers in the South East Asia region.

South East Asia, unlike the East and West coasts of Africa, has seen a reduction in piracy attacks due to increased and more aggressive naval patrols since 2005. However, the scourge has seen a rise in attacks in the first half of this year, as reported by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), and the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC). The notifications by the piracy reporting centre, IMB, provides warnings to seafarers on the continuous threat of piracy in the South East Asia region.

To demonstrate that the ongoing dangers to the mariner are a global menace, four attacks in three days in the region are highlighted as follows:

1. Sep 8 (via IMB) at 2343 LT: in position 01:07.45N - 103:35.75E, Nipah Island, Indonesia. Four robbers armed with long knives boarded a tanker carrying out STS operations. The robbers entered the engine room and were spotted by the duty oiler who raised the alarm. All of the crew were mustered in the CCR and contacted the CSO and local authorities. Later naval personnel boarded the vessel to conduct a search.
2. Sep 9 (via ReCAAP) at (or about) 0200 LT in position 01:03.80N - 103:30.6E, approx 4.3nm Northeast of Tanjung Rambut, Pulau Karimun Besar, Indonesia. A Panama-flagged chemical tanker, Ginga Falcon, was at anchor when the duty crew spotted 3 robbers on the quarterdeck. The crewman contacted the Master and raised the alarm. The robbers escaped taking one lifebuoy with them. No crew were reported to have been injured.
3. Sep 9 (via IMB) at 2305 LT in Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia. Six robbers armed with knives in a boat approached an anchored chemical tanker. Three of the robbers boarded the tanker from her stern. They threatened the duty AB on deck. The duty officer on the bridge raised the alarm upon sighting the robbers. The robbers managed to escape with stolen ships property. The master made several attempts to contact the port authorities but received no response.
4. Sep 11 (via ReCAAP) at (or about) 0300 LT in posn 01:04.80N - 103:33.7E, approx 8.4nm NE of Tanjung Rambut, Pulau Karimun Besar, Indonesia. A Singapore-flagged Tug boat, GM Shine, underway was boarded by an unknown number of robbers from a small craft. They took crew personal belongings, removed the GPS and disconnected all ships' communication system before escaping. The Master reported the incident to the company using his mobile phone. No crew were reported to have been injured.

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