ReCAAP ISC Alerts on Piracy in Singapore Strait
Three ships were attacked by pirates in Singapore Strait early in the morning, and late at night, on Dec 20, said South East Asia piracy watchdog ReCAAP ISC.
Of the three ships that were boarded, two were bulk carriers and one was a tanker. Due to the proximity of the incidents, the same group of perpetrators responsible for the incidents on 20 December 2019 cannot be ruled out.
With the three incidents that occurred on 20 December 2019, a total of 27 incidents have been reported in the Singapore Strait in 2019. Of these, 15 occurred to ships while underway in the westbound lane of the Singapore Strait and 12 incidents in the eastbound lane of the Strait.
The ReCAAP ISC advises all ships to exercise enhanced vigilance, adopt extra precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal State.
The ReCAAP ISC recommends to the law enforcement agencies of the littoral States to step up surveillance, increase patrols and enhance cooperation and coordination among them in order to respond promptly to incidents.
On 20 Dec 19 at about 0532 hrs, bulk carrier, Jian Fa was underway in the Singapore Strait bound for China when an unknown number of perpetrators boarded the bulk carrier.
On 20 Dec 19 at about 2325 hrs, tanker, Jag Lalit was underway in the Singapore Strait bound for Kaoshiung, Taiwan, China when six perpetrators armed with knives boarded the ship.
On 20 Dec 19 at about 2338 hrs, bulk carrier, Akij Globe was underway in the Singapore Strait when five armed perpetrators were sighted in the engine room. The alarm was raised and upon hearing the alarm, the perpetrators confronted three crew in the engine room.
