Mexico: Armed Robbers Board Offshore Vessel, Steal Goods

A Maersk Supply Service's offshore vessel was a target of an armed robbery in Mexico last weekend.

Maersk Supply Service confirmed for Offshore Engineer that the incident occurred on Sunday, April 12 offshore Ciudad Del Carmen, Mexico.

Armed robbers boarded Maersk Transporter, stole various items and left the vessel again, the company said in an email to Offshore Engineer.

Maersk Supply Services COO Mark Handin said: "All crewmembers at the location are safe and accounted for, and there are no reports of injuries. Our primary concern remains the safety and wellbeing of our crew and all those affected by the situation. 

"We have set up crisis counseling for our employees. The company’s incident response procedure has been activated. We are coordinating support and contacting all relevant authorities." 

The 73.2 meters long Maersk Transporter is multi-purpose Anchor Handling Tug Supply Vessel.

Worth noting, this is not the first incident in Mexico's offshore oil and gas space this month as there was an incident on April 4 in which armed assailants opened fire on a pipelaying vessel.

According to IMB Piracy Reporting Center, on April 4, crew onboard a pipelaying vessel noticed a boat with eight armed persons approaching at high speed offshore Dos Bocas, Mexico.

"Alarm sounded, accommodation locked down and all crew mustered. As the boat approached from the stern it started firing at the vessel. Using the thrusters the Master was able to prevent the boat from coming alongside resulting in the boat aborting and moving away," the report said.