Chemical Tanker Boarded in Singapore Strait
The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has reported an unauthorized boarding of the Singapore-registered chemical tanker, Basset, at about 07:00am (SGT) on February 28 in the Singapore Strait, outside Singapore territorial waters.
A crew member was reported to have been injured. The vessel is currently anchored in Singapore waters and the Singapore Police Coast Guard and Singapore Civil Defence Force have been activated to render assistance. Medical evacuation of the injured crew is underway.
The ReCAAP ISC has alerted the maritime community to the increasing number of sea robberies from ships transiting in the Singapore Strait and warns further incidents are likely.
The chemical tanker incident was one of three that were reported by ships while transiting the Phillip Channel in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait on February 28. The incidents occurred near each other, off Takong Kecil Light, Indonesia. The other two incidents involved bulk carriers, one of which had engine spares stolen.
There were 21 incidents reported in the Straits of Malacca and the Singapore Strait during January and February 2025, compared to six incidents during the same period in 2024.
