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SINGAPORE – Armed pirates attacked three ships in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait between Sunday night and Monday morning (November 8-9).
The incidents occurred within six hours on three nearby ships.
As none of the perpetrators have been arrested, the pirates could strike again, the Information Sharing Center (ISC) of the Regional Cooperation Agreement to Combat Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) said on Monday. .
There was no confrontation between the perpetrators and the crew in the three incidents and none of the crew members were injured, ReCAAP said.
The ship’s equipment was stolen from one ship and a life preserver from another, while nothing was taken from the third ship.
The latest armed incidents bring the total number of such attacks in the Singapore Strait this year to 31 so far, up from the same number of incidents for all of last year.
The first incident occurred at 9.25pm on Sunday, while the Zeno tanker was traveling near Tanjung Bulat in East Johor, Malaysia.
Three perpetrators were seen in the engine room.
There were no further sightings of the perpetrators and some transport equipment, including a probe and a portable breathing apparatus, were stolen from the engine room.
[[nid:457098]]At 2.20am on Monday, two perpetrators were seen near the engine room of the bulk carrier Lefkada, which was traveling near Tanjung Ramunia in East Johor, Malaysia. The alarm was raised and a search of the ship was carried out, but the intruders could not be found.
The oil spill team locker was found open and a life preserver had been stolen.
Just an hour later, at 3.08 am, a perpetrator was seen near the steering gear compartment on the bulk carrier Atlantic Diana, which was near Tanjung Pergam in Pulau Bintan, Indonesia. The crew searched the ship but could not find the intruder. They found nothing stolen.
Warning of the possibility of further incidents, ReCAAP said: “All vessels are advised to exercise maximum vigilance, take additional precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal state.
He advised the littoral states to increase their patrols and enforcement in their respective waters, and to increase coordination and information exchange on the most recent situation and the criminal groups involved, to apprehend the perpetrators.
This article was first published in The times of the strait. Permission is required for reproduction.
