ReCAAP Piracy & Robbery Against Ships in Asia - May 2015 Report
ReCAAP ISC, in its latest reports, states that in May 2015, a total of 20 incidents were reported in Asia, of which two were acts of piracy and 18 were incidents of robbery onboard ship.
From January 2015 till May 2015, a total of 80 incidents had been reported, comprising 75 actual incidents and five attempted incidents.
This accounts for an increase of 19% in the number of incidents compared to the same period in 2014. Notably, January-May 2015 recorded the highest number of actual incidents among the five-year reporting period, indicating that more incidents had occurred in 2015; and these were mostly incidents reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS). Chart 1 (below) shows the number of incidents reported in May 2015 compared to the same period in the past four years (2011-2014).
Severity of Incidents
Of the 80 incidents reported during January-May 2015, five were attempted incidents, seven were Category 1 incidents, 11 were Category 2 incidents, eight were Category 3 incidents and 49 were petty thefts. Although the reported incidents under Category 2 and Category 3 have decreased compared to the last four years, the number of Category 1 and petty theft incidents have increased; and these were incidents involving siphoning of ship fuel/oil (Category 1) and incidents onboard ships while underway in SOMS (petty theft).
Incident Involving Ocean Energy 2 May
Tanker Ocean Energy departed Singapore on 2 May at 0845 LT for Myanmar. At about 2130 LT, eight perpetrators armed with guns boarded the vessel while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. The perpetrators ordered the vessel to anchor at 02:19.3.64N - 101:40.4E,off Port Dickson, where a barge came alongside. While the master and crew were locked away, 2,023 metric tonnes of gas oil was discharged to the barge. The perpetrators left the vessel at about 0430 LT on 3 May, after damaging the ship’s communication equipment and took away the ship’s Iridium phone, the crew’s cash and mobile phones. The vessel managed to contact the Company Security Officer (CSO) at about 0553 LT to report the incident. The ship returned to its home port and all crew was reported safe and not injured. This was the second case in the Malacca Strait since January 2015.
Incident Involving Oriental Glory 15 May
Oriental Glory departed Labuan, East Malaysia for Tanjung Manis, Sarawak, East Malaysia when six fishing boats surrounded Oriental Glory at 03:34.50N - 110:39.08E, approximately 60nm northwest of Bruit Island, Malaysia. About 30 perpetrators boarded Oriental Glory and took the tanker to another location at 05:22.02N - 109:33.06E, approximately 188nm northwest of Bruit Island, Malaysia, and siphoned off 2,500 metric tonnes of ship fuel/oil. All crew was safe and the vessel is proceeding to Tanjung Manis for further investigation. More information is being gathered about this incident in the meantime. Oriental Glory was known to have been boarded in July 2014 where the same amount of fuel (2,500 metric tonnes) was stolen.
ReCAAP Conclusion
The number of reported incidents in May 2015 has increased by 19% compared to April 2015. Of concern was the continued occurrence of siphoning incidents with two cases reported in May 2015; onboard Ocean Energy and Oriental Glory, and the increase in incidents onboard ships while underway in the SOMS.
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OCEANUSLive Conclusion
In relation to the data provided by ReCAAP ISC, OCEANUSLive reports indicate an increase of over 30% on incidents reported in the region during May 2014 where 23 incidents were recorded. OCEANUSLive records 29 incidents in Asia, including 2 hijacks, 11 robberies, 15 boardings and 1 approach. During three boarding and robbery incidents, crew were threatened with one incident resulting in a minor leg injury to one crew member.
The records do not include report of two trawlers attacked and hijacked in Pashur River, Bangladesh, 30 May, when several fishermen were said to have been kidnapped with a ransom demand made by the peretrators.
Original Source: ReCAAP ISC, additional reporting by OCEANUSLive Team
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Submitted by Team@oceanuslive.org