Hijacked Tanker Found Aground in the Philippines

A chemical tanker captured by pirates nearly a month ago was found grounded in the Philippines today, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre announced in an incident update.

The MT Rehobot, an Indonesian flagged tanker carrying 1,100 tons of diesel when it was hijacked by eight masked individuals  near Lembeh Island, Indonesia, was identified today by Philippine authorities investigating reports of a ship run aground near Mati City in the southern Philippines.

All 14 members of the crew were found floating in life rafts by Indonesian authorities three days after the ship was boarded by Indonesian authorities. The vessel itself had been missing since January 28.

Philippine authorities are currently investigating the incident and trying to determine what happened to the ship between the hijacking and the identification of the vessel. ReCAAP ISC reported that an initial investigation revealed a sign of spillage of unknown substance onboard the ship.

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre is part of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), which is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery in Asia, according to recaap.org. Contracting parties currently include 20 states, including the Philippines and the United States. ReCAAP was entered into force in September of 2006.

Earlier this month, Control Risks, a London based risk and strategic consulting firm, reported that piracy levels were increasing in Asia, with incidents rising 28% in 2014.