Bintan News

More than a dozen shipowners have made payments of about $300,000 apiece to release vessels detained by the Indonesian navy, which said they were anchored illegally in Indonesian waters near Singapore, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.The dozen sources include shipowners, crew and maritime security sources all involved in the detentions and payments, which they say were either made in cash to naval officers or via bank transfer to intermediaries who told…

The Netherlands based heavy cargo specialist Roll Group said it has signed a contract to further develop and open its own yard at Indonesia's Bintan Offshore Marine Center (BOMC).BOMC has offered Roll Group the opportunity to become an exclusive partner in the BOMC yard, which means that Roll Group takes care of the cranes and trailers to further develop the yard.Robin Koenis, Managing Director of Roll Group APAC: "The yard will also have a jetty access, which is perfect for our company with its land/sea combination.

Australia is sending more help to the Pacific nation of the Solomon Islands to stop oil from a grounded cargo ship destroying a World Heritage-listed marine sanctuary, Australia's foreign minister said on Sunday.At least 75 tonnes of heavy fuel oil has spilled from Hong Kong-flagged bulk carrier Solomon Trader since Cyclone Oma drove it onto a reef at Rennell Island on Feb. 5.The ship was carrying 700 tonnes of oil when it ran aground and there are fears the remaining fuel will spoil Rennell Island…

An undersea cable and pipe-laying ship, the Vanuatu-flagged MV Star Centurion, capsized in the Indonesian waters of the Singapore Straits after a collision with a tanker on Sunday, with no fatalities, authorities said on Monday.The Singapore Straits are one of the world's busiest shipping zones with hundreds of container ships, oil and fuel tankers and dry bulk carriers daily traversing the waters that connect east Asia to Europe, India and Africa.The collision happened just north of Bintan, an Indonesian island in the Riau Islands province that sits opposite the city-state of Singapore."It's already capsized," Samsul Nizar, the head of operations at the Indonesian coast guard base at Tanjung Uban on Bintan…

Majestic Fast Ferry’s newest ferry, the Majestic Dream, set sail on a maiden voyage from Singapore Cruise Centre’s (SCC) HarbourFront terminal. The 11th vessel in Majestic Fast Ferry’s fleet will ply the operator’s existing routes between Singapore and the Riau Islands in Indonesia. It will serve passengers travelling to and from SCC’s HarbourFront and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal in Singapore, Batam Center and Sekupang terminals in Batam as well as Tanjung Pinang in Bintan. The ferry was designed by Australian naval architect and engineering service firm Incat Crowther. It is the second series of ships built by Majestic Fast Ferry at its shipyard on Batam Island, following its first series comprising Majestic 7, 8 and 9.

Ten people have drowned while five are still missing after a wooden boat carrying 17 people capsized in the province of Riau Islands on Sunday morning, reports the Jakarta Post. The boat capsized in rough seas and sank off Indonesia's Bintan island, south of Singapore. The boat carried 17 persons and overturned after it departed from a port in Tanjung Pinang of Riau province, Xinhua quoted navy spokesman Admiral Edi Sucipto as saying. Bad weather was blamed for the disaster, he said. Navy command in western Indonesia undertook the evacuation just after the incident, Sucipto said. About 20 ships and 50 fishing boats have been deployed in the search. The effort was being hampered by high waves and strong currents, said disaster agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. Two people were rescued.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) held a half-day emergency preparedness exercise, codenamed 'FEREX 2015' August 21. The annual ferry exercise (FEREX) aims to test the readiness of various agencies to respond to ferry mishaps in the Port of Singapore. More than 350 personnel from 10 agencies and companies took part in this full deployment exercise which includes deployment of resources at sea at the Eastern Special Purposes A Anchorage for rescue operations, manning of emergency operations centre at the Port Operations Control Centre at PSA Vista…

Attacks against small tankers off South East Asia’s coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, despite piracy at sea falling to its lowest level in eight years, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed. Pirates took 442 crewmembers hostage, compared with 304 in 2013. IMB’s annual piracy report shows 245 incidents were recorded worldwide in 2014 – a 44% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011. Somali pirates were responsible for 11 attacks, all of which were thwarted. However, IMB warns shipmasters to follow the industry’s Best Management Practices, as the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated. Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year, 183 were boarded, and 13 fired upon.

While the issue of maritime piracy has largely fallen from the public eye, with the rapid evolution of the 24/7/365 news cycle and a never-ending list of new and globally interesting headlines, such as Ebola, there remains concerns of piracy’s effects on the broader maritime market, particularly in SE Asia. According to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latest piracy report, maritime pirate attacks globally are down for three years running, but there is a worrisome trend of small tanker hijacks by armed gangs escalating in Southeast Asia.

The Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) raises concerns over a worrying trend of small tanker hijacks in its 2014 half yearly report. Globally, 116 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships have been reported to the PRC in the first six months of 2014, down on the 138 incidents for the corresponding period for 2013. In 2014, 10 vessels were hijacked, seven fired upon, 78 boarded and 21 vessels reported attempted attacks against their vessels. Two hundred crewmembers were taken hostage, five kidnapped from their vessels and there were two fatalities according to the report.

The ICC Commercial Crime Services' International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is warning small tankers to maintain strict antipiracy measures in the South China Sea following a spate of tanker hijackings in the region, GAC reported in its daily Hot Port News report. At least six known cases of coastal tankers being hijacked for their cargoes of diesel or gas oil have been reported since April this year, sparking fears of a new trend in pirate attacks in the area. Up until then, the majority of attacks in the region were vessels boarded for petty theft. The latest hijackings seem to follow a specific modus operandi, where armed pirates seize a small tanker and siphon off its cargo to large bunker barges or other small tankers in a ship-to-ship operation.

Multiple sources reported that a 500gt tanker MT Awang Bazao grounded in Bintan Sea, Riau Islands. The Mongolian-flagged vessel struck coral reef in the Malang Berdaun area, 1.5 miles from the mainland, while en route to Singapore. Rough weather conditions allegedly pulled the ship off course. The ship's crew members are reported to be uninjured, and the vessel is not leaking.

Indonesia’s ambitious plans for the new port of Tanjung Sauh seem not to regard Singapore's transhipment dominance. Singapore’s relentless cargo growth of 5.7% last year, up to 31.6 million TEU, indicates that it is still catering well to customers’ transshipment needs. The same applies to nearby Tanjung Pelepas. Although its traffic increased by only 2.1%, up to 7.7 million teu, this was preceded by 19.7% growth in 2011. Indonesia’s plans to build a competing container terminal in nearby Tanjung Sauh with a capacity of 4 million teu is surprising to say the least, therefore, but it does have some local cargo arguments on its side, observes the Drewry report.

The Piracy & Armed Robbery Report section below follows the definition of Piracy as laid down in Article 101 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and Armed Robbery as laid down in Resolution A.1025 (26) adopted on 2 December 2009 at the 26th Assembly Session of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Around 130nm South of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Armed pirates boarded a container ship underway. They kidnapped four crew members and escaped. No injuries were reported to the remaining crew members who sailed the ship to Senegal. Further details awaiting. Around 45nm WSW of Brass, Nigeria. Fourteen heavily armed pirates in two boats…

With over 230 million people living on about 13 thousand islands, Indonesia requires a lot of ferries. Shipyards such as PT. Bintan Marina Shipyard are meeting this demand for fast, safe and modern ferries. The yard's recently designed, built and  delivered the fast ferry, MV Super Jet 19, to the associated PT. Pelayaran Nasional Bahtera Bestari Shipping. The new boat continues a tradition of fine looking vessel designs that date back at least as far as the wooden Pinisi boats that continue their centuries old inter-island trade.

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre issued an Incident Update stating that the crew of the tug boat Atlantic 3 have been found alive. Contact was lost with the tug and its barge on April 27 while they were transiting near Pulau Bintan, Indonesia. On May 3, the Vietnamese Navy rescued the nine crewmembers of the tug from a life raft near the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. It has been assessed that the pirates who hijacked the tug and its tow are headed toward the Philippine Islands. (5/7/10). (Source: Bryant’s Maritime News)

Maersk Line announced a number of changes to its Euromed service (43G) serving Northern Europe to the Eastern Mediterranean, taking effect on 20 July, 2009. The revised rotation, to commence from vessel Maersk Bintan 741/0919, will be Felixstowe-Rotterdam-Bremerhaven-Alexandria-Port Said-Haifa-Ashdod-Gioia Tauro to Felixstowe. With the new Euromed rotation Maersk Line will increase the dedicated capacity to these markets, reduce transit times and expanding the direct port coverage. Maersk Line will also launch a new East-West Mediterranean feeder service to cater for Gioia Tauro-Alexandria volumes as well as other key corridors. The rotation will be Algeciras-Gioia Tauro-Alexandria-Mersin-Izmir-Algeciras.

Marine safety equipment supplier Pamarine launched its Blu Veritas Voyage Data Recorder (VDR). Similar to black boxes fitted on the aircraft, the Voyage Data Recorder collects data on board vessels so that it can be examined in the event of a shipping accident. With the launch of the Blu Veritas Voyage Data Recorder, the company plans to expand its global distribution footprint to Brazil, Greece, Norway, Korea and Australia. The Blu Veritas VDR is designed in accordance to the requirements specified in IMO A.861 (20), and fully complies with standards as outlined under IEC 61996, IEC 60945 and IEC 61996-2. 1. An optional removable memory stick to facilitate data archiving and retrieval.