The latest reports of maritime crime to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) worldwide 24-hour Piracy Reporting centre (PRC) indicate a spike of incidents in Indonesian waters. Although there has been concerted action by marine police and maritime authorities in the South East Asian region to combat piracy and robbery, reports suggest a recent wave in attempted armed robbery and other attacks.
West Africa currently remains the most dangerous hotspot for pirate attacks, kidnapping and armed robbery.
Recent incidents worldwide reported to the IMB PRC include the following:
- Six robbers armed with knives boarded a chemical tanker around five nautical miles off Tanjung Priok, Indonesia on 30 July. They injured the chief engineer. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered, and the robbers escaped empty-handed.
- Two robbers boarded a bulk carrier anchored at Belawan, Indonesia on 30 July. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered, and the robbers escaped empty-handed.
- Three robbers armed with metal sticks boarded a containership berthed at Lagos, Nigeria on 29 July. They attacked and injured the duty crew member, stole his personal belongings and escaped.
- Armed robbers boarded a bulk carrier anchored at Monrovia Roads, Liberia on 29 July, stole ship’s property and escaped.
- Four armed robbers boarded a tanker berthed at Lubuk Gaung, Indonesia on 27 July. The alarm was raised and the robbers escaped.
- An unauthorised person with a hose was spotted jumping overboard from a vessel anchored at Lagos, Nigeria on 26 July. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered, and investigations indicated an attempt to steal cargo. A navy patrol boat searched the surrounding waters.
- An unauthorised person was spotted throwing items over the side of a cargo ship anchored at Lotus Port, Pu My Bridge, Vietnam on 25 July. The alarm was raised and the robber escaped.
- Four robbers boarded an offshore tug berthed at Batam, Indonesia on 22 July. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered. Ship’s property was reported stolen. The following day, a suspicious boat with two people, one of them armed, came alongside the tug. The crew raised the alarm and the boat moved away.
- Seven pirates armed with a pistol and knives boarded a bulk carrier around 16 nautical miles off Pulau Damar, Indonesia on 21 July. They took the master and second officer hostage, tied up and assaulted them, and stole cash and crew personal belongings before they escaped.
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All attacks and suspicious sightings should be reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, tel: +603 2031 0014 (24 hours), email: imbkl@icc-ccs.org
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