2 More Piracy Incidents in Singapore Strait

Two ships in the Singapore Strait were attacked by pirates within the span of an hour in the wee hours of Sunday (Feb 9) mornings, aid the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Center in a media release.

Some engine spares were stolen in one incident, while the perpetrators left empty handed in the other, it said.

According to the release, at about 0220 hrs the bulk carrier New Spirit was boarded by six perpetrators while underway at about 5.1 nautical miles from Nongsa Point, Indonesia. They were armed with knives when seen in the engine room but ran onto the deck when they saw the crew. The master mustered the crew in the bridge, and no perpetrators were found when the ship was later inspected by the Singapore Police. Nothing was reported stolen.

At about 0252 hrs the tanker Swarna Jayanti was underway at about 6.2 nautical miles from Nongsa Point when the crew sighted one perpetrator in the engine room. The master raised the alarm, mustered the crew and conducted search. Some valves (engine spares) were reported missing from the engine room.

The ReCAAP ISC said it is "concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait and the persistence of the perpetrators in their attempts to board ships".