1. business and industrial
2. shipbuilding

15th monthly report - „Maritime Piracy and Terrorism“
Weeks 10 - 14
(01. March – 31. March 2015)
Published by:
AGEMA-Services, Am Kiel-Kanal 1, 24106 Kiel, Intelligence Department
-
All rights reserved, this document is copyrighted
Distribution and modification only after agreement
Contents
1
Pirate activity: general overview ............................ - 2 -
2
West Africa ............................................................. - 7 -
2.1
Incident reports West Africa .................................. - 8 -
3
Indian Ocean ......................................................... - 13 -
3.1
Incident reports Indian Ocean .............................. - 14 -
4
Southeast Asia ...................................................... - 18 -
4.1
Incident reports Southeast Asia ........................... - 19 -
Sources:
[A] ICC – Live Piracy Report
[E] www.news.odin.tc/Maritime Bulletin
[B] IMO GISIS Piracy and Armed Robbery
[F] www.marineforum.info
[C] NATO Shipping Centre
[G] International news portals
[D) Office of Naval Intelligence
[H] regional/local news portals
AGEMA-Services GmbH
Chief executive officer: Sven Meyer
District court: Kiel / Germany
Commercial registry: HRB 13739 KI
VAT ID: DE282007669
Please direct your questions and comments to:
[email protected]
__________________________________________________________________________________
1
Pirate activity: General overview
In March, the total number of reported incidents in West Africa region counts twice as much
as in the reporting period of February. The overall record of the Southeast Asia area increases
as well. Only in the Indian Ocean region, the total number of piracy related incidents further
diminishes.
a. General trends 2014/2015, number of reports
Extended Trend, weekly based
(2015)
Extended Trend, weekly based
10
916
8
14
7
612
510
4
8
3
26
1
4
0
Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week Week
01
02
03
04
05
06
07
08
09
10
11
12
13
14
2
0
West Africa
Indian Ocean
Southeast Asia
EXTENDED TREND, MONTHLY BASED
(2014/2015)
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
July
August
September
October
West Africa
November December
Indian Ocean
-2-
January
2015
February March 2015
2015
Southeast Asia
__________________________________________________________________________________
b. Overview by ships type
West Africa
Container
Tanker
1
Ship’s name
Date
Area
Incident
Damage
Ship’s name
SEA FORCE
Date
12.03.2015
Area
Lagos, Nigeria
Damage
Cargo stolen
2
YOHO FPSO
21.03.2015
3
Unknown
28.03.2015
Bulker
Ship’s name
Date
20nm off Port
Harcourt, Nigeria
Off the Port of
Kribi, Cameroon
Area
Incident
Robbery,
underway
Kidnapping
MPP Carrier
Offshore Vessel
1
Ship’s name
Date
Ship’s name
MARIDIVE 603
Date
19.03.2015
2
MV WILDEBEEST
25.03.2015
Other
1
Ship’s name
GREEN KLIPPER
2
Approach
3 crew members
kidnapped
None
Incident
Damage
Area
Incident
Damage
Area
South
Akwa
Ibom state, Nigeria
South
Akwa
Ibom, Nigeria
Incident
Kidnapping
Damage
2 crew members
kidnapped
Unknown
Date
03.03.2015
Area
Incident
Lagos, Nigeria
Unknown
03.03.2015
Delta state, Nigeria
Robbery,
underway
Attack
3
Unknown
10.03.2015
Approach
4
GEOCEAN PROTIS
14.03.2015
Robbery,
anchorage
Ship’s properties stolen
5
GREEN GLACIER
25.03.2015
LAMNALCO PUFFIN
26.03.2015
7
Unknown
27.03.2015
Robbery,
underway
Robbery,
underway
Attack
None
6
approx. 54nm
SSE of Takoradi
Pointe
Noire
Outer Anchorage, Congo
Abidjan, Ivory
Coast
South
Akwa
Ibom, Nigeria
Ondo state, Nigeria
Cash and valuable items
stolen; several passengers injured
Unknown
Container
1
Tanker
1
Ship’s name
Unknown
Ship’s name
Unknown
Date
18.03.2015
Date
29.03.2015
Incident
Approach
Incident
Approach
Damage
None
Damage
None
Bulker
MPP Carrier
Offshore Vessel
Other
1
Ship’s name
Date
Area
Strait of Hormuz
Area
Southern Red
Sea
Area
Incident
Damage
Ship’s name
Date
Area
Incident
Damage
Ship’s name
Ship’s name
Unknown
Date
Area
Incident
Damage
Date
01.03.2015
Area
Gulf of Aden
Incident
Approach
Damage
None
Robbery,
underway
Damage
None
Unknown
Unknown
Indian Ocean
-3-
__________________________________________________________________________________
2
3
Unknown
Unknown
07.03.2015
10.03.2015
Gulf of Aden
IRTC, Gulf of
Aden
Bab el Mandeb
Bab el Mandeb
Off Coast Somalia
Approach
Approach
None
None
4
5
6
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
22.03.2015
26.03.2015
26.03.2015
Approach
Approach
Hijack/Kidnapping
27.03.2015
Bab el Mandeb
Approach
None
None
Crew probably
kidnapped.
None
7
Unknown
Container
1
Ship’s name
MSC VANCOUVER
Date
21.03.2015
Area
Singapore
Straits
Incident
Robbery,
underway
2
MSC ROSA M
23.03.2015
Tanker
1
Ship’s name
MT SINGA BERLIAN
Date
09.03.2015
Singapore
Straits
Area
Approx. 37nm S
of Pulau Repong, Indonesia
Robbery,
underway
Incident
Hijack
2
FRONT DEE
16.03.2015
Robbery,
anchorage
3
Unknown
20.03.2015
4
SRI PHUKET
25.03.2015
5
Unknown
29.03.2015
Visakhapatnam
Anchorage, India
Dumai Port, Malacca Strait
Tioman coast,
Malaysia
Singapore
Straits
Bulker
1
Ship’s name
BRAHMS
Date
07.03.2015
2
MAHITIS
11.03.2015
3
ORE PANTANAL
19.03.2015
4
Unknown
20.03.2015
5
CAPETAN GIORGIS
21.03.2015
6
UNION EXPLORER
21.03.2015
7
GLOBAL TRINITY
25.03.2015
MPP Carrier
-
Ship’s name
Date
Area
Approx. 18nm
NNW of Laparan
Island,
Philippines
Vung Tau Anchorage,
Vietnam
Singapore
Straits
Approx. 27nm
WNW off Pearl
Bank
Singapore
Straits
Belawan
Anchorage, Indonesia
Bangkok, Thailand
Area
Southeast Asia
-4-
Damage
Personal belongings stolen
None
Damage
MFO cargo
transferred;
one
crew
member injured
Ship’s stores
stolen
Robbery,
anchorage
Approach
Unknown
Robbery,
underway
Incident
Attack
Engine
spares stolen
Damage
None
Robbery,
anchorage
Ship’s stores
stolen
Robbery,
underway
Approach
Unknown
Robbery,
underway
Robbery,
anchorage
None
Robbery,
underway
Incident
Ship’s properties stolen
Damage
None
None
Ship’s stores
stolen
__________________________________________________________________________________
Offshore Vessel
Other
1
Ship’s name
Date
Area
Incident
Damage
Ship’s name
SOUTHWIND
Date
21.03.2015
Area
Chittagong Anchorage, Bangladesh
Incident
Robbery,
anchorage
2
Unknown
22.03.2015
Approx. 18nm E
of Tioman Island, Malaysia
Hijack
3
PAX SILVA
23.03.2015
Robbery,
anchorage
4
BRABO
30.03.2015
Cailan Outer Anchorage,
Vietnam
Kakinada Inner
Anchorage, India
Damage
Ship’s stores
and properties stolen;
one
crew
member injured
Cargo stolen; equipment stolen;
communication equipment damaged
Ship’s stores
stolen
-5-
Robbery,
anchorage
None
__________________________________________________________________________________
c. Total Overview
Total
Type of Incident
Approach
Attack
Boarding
Hijack
Kidnapping
Robbery, harbor
Robbery, anchorage
Robbery, underway
Ship’s Type
Container
Tanker
Bulk Carrier
MPP Carrier
Offshore Supply Vessel
Other
Time
Day
Night
Morning
Evening
Unknown
Status
Underway/drifting
Anchored
Unknown
Dead
Injured
Hostages
Shot at
Firearms sighted
Knifes sighted
RPG sighted
VPT on board
VPT/use of flares
VPT/show of weapons
VPT/warning shots
VPT/aimed fire
West Africa
12
Indian Ocean
9
Southeast Asia
18
Total
39
2
2
8
2
1
12
3
1
2
7
6
3
2
1
8
10
2
1
5
3
1
1
2
5
7
3
9
7
2
7
7
4
2
18
2
6
2
1
1
7
3
9
2
4
12
15
4
6
2
9
2
1
9
11
7
29
9
1
2
3
2
1
6
4
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
7
3
3
3
3
4
7
3
3
3
Remarks:
Incidents are listed according to the publication of the report not of the actual date of the incident.
Discrepancies between single assets and total account may result out of multiple types of incident for a
single incident.
Attacks, Hijackings, Kidnappings, and in some boardings are categorized as incidents of high intensity
Obviously double reported incidents are counted as just one occurrence.
“Type of incident“ only counts the highest level reached per incident, less serious stages are not taken
into account (e.g. for each hijack a vessel has to been boarded previously, in such a case only the hijack
will be registered but not the boarding).
All three types of robbery also include cases of intended robbery. According to experience specific approaches or boardings are counted as robbery.
“Approach“ also includes reported sightings of suspicious crafts. The reporting vessel does not have to be
approached at all.
“Dead“, “injured” and „hostages“ only lists the number of cases not the actual number of dead, injured
or hostages.
-6-
__________________________________________________________________________________
2
West Africa
In the month of February only five incidents were recorded whereas in the contemporary reporting period of March twelve piracy related activities became public. The overall record includes several lowimpact proceedings (two approaches; six robberies) and additionally two attacks as well as two kidnappings.
Due to the coordinates the approaches (incident C and L) are not related. The given information are not
very detailed. Hence further comments are not reasonable.
The robberies A and D are likely related. Both of them are located in the anchorage area of Lagos/Nigeria, refer to a similar pattern and are of typical type. The same applies to the other three robberies
(incident H, I and J). Due to the proceedings and the due to the coordinates they seem to be connected.
Moreover, two kidnappings (incident F and G) took place this month. Although the given information
are not very detailed, it can be assumed that they are
related. In the following weeks ransom demands can
be expected.
Comments
The attack K seems to be politically motivated. The
offenders laid in ambush and opened fire on the Nigerian Joint Task Force (JTF). Similar to attack B, it is
located in Nigerian waters. In incident B, the pirates
attempted to steal something of value. Nevertheless

Number of recorded incidents doubled

Nigerian elections were held on the 28th

New president: Buhari (former leader of
the opposition)
several passengers were injured by the attackers.
In general, it is remarkable that the piracy related incidents in West African waters are quite often of
brutal nature.
Regarding the political circumstances, especially those in the state of Nigeria, further developments
have to be observed. On the 28th of March elections were held. The leader of the former opposition
Muhammadu Buhari is declared to be the winner of the polls and is the new Nigerian president. In the
meantime, the fight against the influence of the Boko Haram militia continued. Several West African
states formed a coalition to take action against the group. Both sides complained already several causalities. It remains to be seen whether and how Buhari will deal with the critical and instable security
situation of the country.
-7-
__________________________________________________________________________________
2.1
Incident reports West Africa, March 2015
A
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Apapa Berth No.9, Lagos, Nigeria
03.03.2015
8 robbers boarded berthed refrigerated cargo ship
GREEN KLIPPER. The security watch on board spotted
0425LT
the robbers and raised the alarm. Seeing the crew alert06°27N 003°22E
ness, the robbers escaped with empty hands.
Cargo ship
berthed
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
B
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Warri, Delta state, Nigeria
03.03.2015
Exact time and position unknown. A passenger boat
was underway in Ogbe Ijoh River, Warri, Delta State
1000UTC
when a gunman attacked. The boat was ferrying traders
05°35N 005°25E
to a market, the gunman stole cash and other valuable
Passenger boat
items. Several passengers were injured due to this atunderway
tack.
Attack
C
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Approx. 54 nm south-southeast of Takoradi.
10.03.2015
On 10 March, a suspicious approach was reported near
position 04:04 N - 001:22 W, approximately 54 nm
Unknown
south-southeast of Takoradi. The suspicious vessel was
04°04N 001°22W
described as a 50 meter long gray or white-hulled fishunknown
ing boat.
unknown
Type of incident
Approach
D
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Terminal 5, Apapa Port, Lagos, Nigeria
12.03.2015
Duty pump man onboard berthed product tanker SEA
FORCE, noticed two robbers hiding near the hatch cover
2254LT
of No.1 Cargo oil tank. He immediately informed the
06°27N 003°22E
duty officer and alerted all crew. Seeing the alerted
Product tanker
crew the robbers jumped overboard, disconnected
Berthed
Robbery, underway their own hoses and escaped. Upon inspection, it was
noticed that around five cubic meters of base oil was
stolen. Agents and Port Security Officer informed.
-8-
__________________________________________________________________________________
E
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Pointe Noire Outer Anchorage, Congo
14.03.2015
Unnoticed robbers boarded anchored barge vessel GE0530LT
OCEAN PROTIS. They broke open store room, stole ship
04°45S 011°48E
properties and escaped. The incident was detected the
Barge
next morning.
anchored
Robbery, anchorage
F
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
South Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria
19.03.2015
The offshore supply vessel MARIDIVE 603 was hijacked
by an unknown number of pirates while operating in
0030LT
the sea near Nigeria. Pirates have kidnapped 2 crew
04°11N 008°00E
members believed to be of Egyptian nationality. Further
Supply vessel
information will follow once obtained.
underway
Type of incident
Kidnapping
G
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
20nm off Port Harcourt, Nigeria
21.03.2015
An unknown number of pirates on board a speedboat
attempted to board the YOHO FPSO. A field security
2140UTC
boat deterred the pirates from boarding. Further infor04°05N 007°30E
mation will follow once obtained.
Tanker
Type of incident
Kidnapping
underway
An update reported as follows:
According to SHIELD updated piracy report on 24th
March, there was the piracy incident that 20 armed pirates on board a speedboat managed to board the
YOHO FPSO they were then deterred by the field security vessel. Furthermore, based on the maritime news
source, it has been now confirmed that 3 Nigerian crew
members were kidnapped during this attack. Further information will follow once obtained.
-9-
__________________________________________________________________________________
H
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Abidjan, Ivory Coast
25.03.2015
0230LT
05°16N 004°00W
Cargo vessel
berthed
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
I
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
South Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
25.03.2015
3 armed pirates in speedboat boarded the offshore supply vessel MV WILDEBEEST. All the crew members on
2030UTC
board mustered in the ships citadel. The MV AU04°14N 007°59E
GUSTINA was deployed to the vessels position to assist
Supply vessel
her. When MV AUGUSTINA arrived, the pirates had disunderway
Robbery, underway embarked from the MV WILDEBEEST. Further information will follow once obtained.
Type of incident
4 robbers boarded berthed refrigerated cargo vessel
GREEN GLACIER. 2nd officer on routine rounds noticed
the padlock to the central store room missing. As he
opened the door to investigate 4 robbers pushed him
and escaped. 1 robber jumped overboard while the
other 3 left the vessel by the gangway. Local security
watch observed the situation but did not take any action. Alarm raised, crew mustered and a search was carried out. A number of cartons had been removed from
the cargo holds and lay ready to lower into a wooden
boat, however due to the alert sounded by 2nd officer,
no cargo was stolen.
Typical robbery.
J
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
South Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
26.03.2015
A tug boat LAMNALCO PUFFIN was boarded by 4 pirates. Pirates came alongside the tug boat in a speed2110UTC
boat, 2 pirates boarded the tug boat whilst the remain04°14N 007°59E
ing 2 stayed in the speedboat. The alarm was raised by
Tug boat
ExxonMobil via VHF to all vessels in the area. Upon
underway
Robbery, underway hearing this alert the pirates fled in their speedboat and
headed in an unknown direction. These pirates could
possibly be the same group that was involved in the attack on the GREEN GLACIER on 25th March.
Typical robbery.
- 10 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
K
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Ondo State, Nigeria
27.03.2015
0700UTC
06°05N 004°25E
Patrol boat
underway
Type of incident
Attack
L
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Off the Port of Kribi, Cameroon
28.03.2015
An anchored tanker was approached by suspicious vessel. The vessel is described as being black hulled, ap1530UTC
proximately 15 m in length and have 5 persons on
02°59N 009°45E
board. It is believed the vessel is still within the vicinity
Product tanker
of the reporting tanker. Further information will follow
anchored
once obtained.
Approach
Type of incident
The aggressors laid ambush on the creek and opened
fire on the Joint task force (JFT) while they patrolled the
waterways in 6 patrol boats. The report said that there
was an exchange of small arms fire while being attacked
by ambush. This has resulted in the JTF recovering 2
general purpose machine guns, 2 AK-47 assault rifles, 1
pump action gun, 40 rounds of ammunition and 4 speed
boats. Further information will follow once obtained.
- 11 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
Map incident reports West Africa, March 2015
A; D; H; I;
J
B; K
C; L
F; G
E
Approach Robbery Attack Kidnapping Hijack Other
- 12 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
3
Indian Ocean
Pirate activity in the Indian Ocean region further decreases to 9 this month.
Despite one incident only approaches took place in the HRA/Indian Ocean area.
One approach (incident D) is located in the Strait of Hormuz. The incidents A, B and C occurred in the
Gulf of Aden whereas most of the recorded (E, F, G, H) approaches are located in the Southern Red Sea
near Bab el Mandeb. Most of them are of typical type: The approaches refer to the normal pattern of
so-called soft approaches, in which a single skiff or a number of skiffs with several pirates on board
conduct an approach in a specific formation. It stands out that the approaches seem to become more
critical. The pirates manage more and more frequently to come close to the respective vessels, as for
example in incident F. But most of the vessels have VPTs aboard that are able to repel the approaches.
VTPs still have a deterrent effect and prevent worse encroachments. Due to the actual crisis and increasing instability of the Yemen special attention has to
be paid to the further developments. Incident E, F,
G and H could be interpreted as a by-product of the
regional crisis. Additionally, it was reported that for
Comments
the first time in almost three years a hijack/kidnap-

Reason for concern
ping occurred in the territorial waters of Somalia. Pi-

Regional instability
rates have seized an Iranian vessel fishing illegally

First hijack in three years
off the coast of Somalia (off Ceel Huur south of the
old pirate anchorage of Hoboyo). There is a real concern that the crew may be taken ashore. Ships
transiting to the east coast of Somalia are strongly advised to ensure that full BMP compliance is maintained and to be attentive.
It can be assumed that the regional instability will have considerable impact on international shipping.
It should be expected that piracy will re-increase.
- 13 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
3.1
Incident reports Indian Ocean, March 2015
A
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Gulf of Aden
01.03.2015
0930UTC
12°24N 047°51E
Merchant vessel
underway
Type of incident
Approach
B
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Gulf of Aden
07.03.2015
1409UTC
14°44N 050°56E
Merchant vessel
underway
Type of incident
Approach
C
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
IRTC, Gulf of Aden
10.03.2015
1508UTC
13°23 N 050°02E
Merchant vessel
underway
Type of incident
Approach
A vessel was approached by 2 skiffs. The first skiff had 5
persons on board and the second skiff had 3 persons on
board, all persons on board were wearing black rain
coats. When the skiffs approached the vessel's port
side, the Master activated the fire hoses, sounded a
long blast on the ship's horn and then mustered the
crew to the citadel. At 900 m from the port side, the
armed security team fired a warning shot. The skiffs increased speed to 13 knots and approached the port
side, CPA 0.2 nm. The Master increased vessel's speed
and altered course. A second long blast on the ship's
horn was sounded and the armed security team fired a
second warning shot. The skiffs followed the vessel at
12.5 knots for about 30 mins then reduced her speed
and stopped in the water. No ladders and no weapons
were sighted. The vessel is now safe.
A merchant vessel was approached by 6 blue and white
skiffs and a larger boat. A skiff with 4 persons on board
started approaching to within 800m. The embarked
armed security team displayed their firearms resulting
in the skiff turning away immediately. Firearms were
sighted on the approaching skiff either, however there
were no signs of ladders or other piracy equipment. The
vessel is now safe.
A merchant vessel transiting the IRTC was approached
by 2 skiffs with 7-8 people on board. The skiffs closed to
within 1 nm of the vessel. Ladders were sighted onboard. The embarked armed security team fired warning shots twice. The skiffs stopped their approach. The
incident lasted around 20 minutes. The vessel is now
safe.
- 14 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
D
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Straits of Hormuz, Persian Gulf
18.03.2015
A container vessel was approached by 4 suspicious
skiffs. The vessel reported the approach via VHF and
1454UTC
called for Naval assistance. Another vessel in the vicin26°35N 056°35E
ity have confirmed that the container vessel has inContainer
creased speed to 20 knots and has reported over VHF
underway
radio that she is now safe.
Approach
Due to the given facts hard to determine.
E
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
F
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
G
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Bab el Mandeb, Southern Red sea
22.03.2015
A general cargo vessel was approached by 1 white Yemeni-style skiff with 7 personnel on board. The skiff came
0523UTC
to within 1 nm of the vessels port quarter at high speed.
14°25N 042°35E
The embarked armed security team stood when the
Cargo vessel
skiff was at 700 m. The master ordered an alteration in
underway
course, increase of speed and activated water defences.
Approach
The armed security team fired 2 flares. The skiff continued to within 500 m when a long ladder was spotted at
skiff bow. The armed security team fired 3 warning
shots at 400 m. The skiff held back at 300 m following
vessel then fell back and moved away in a NW direction.
Bab el Mandeb, Red Sea
26.03.2015
A merchant vessel was approached by 1 white hulled
skiff within 250 m at a speed of up to 20 knots. The skiff
0736UTC
had 3 persons on board wearing yellow raincoats.
13°01N 043°07E
When the skiff approached the vessel's port quarter, at
Merchant vessel
400 m, the Armed Security Team (AST) fired a flare and
underway
displayed weapons. The skiff continued to approach,
Approach
once at 250 m the AST fired 3 warning shots which resulted in the skiff aborting their approach. No ladders
or weapons were sighted during this incident.
Bab el Mandeb, Red Sea
27.03.2015
A vessel was approached by 4 white hulled skiffs within
1501UTC
a distance of 1.5 nm at speeds of 15-20 knots. They ap13°05N 043°00E
proached the vessel's port quarter after trailing her for
Merchant vessel
15 minutes at a distance of 3 nm. Each skiff was reunderway
ported to have between 4-5 people on board wearing
Approach
orange/yellow raincoats. No weapons or ladders
sighted. The on board security team showed their
weapons and skiffs then diverted away from the vessel.
The vessel is safe.
- 15 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
H
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Southern Red Sea
29.03.2015
0540UTC
15°37N 041°28E
Product tanker
underway
Type of incident
Approach
A product tanker was approached by 3 skiffs having
blue/white hulls and 4-5 persons on board within 1 nm.
They approached from the starboard side at speeds of
up to 20 knots. All recommended hardenings are in
place and an armed security team are on board. After
15 minutes, 3 suspicious skiffs ceased their approach. It
is believed that skiffs could not maintain their approach
due to a high swell and strong winds either. This alert is
now the 4rth of its kind, within the last 7 days. No weapons or ladders sighted. The tanker is safe.
- 16 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
Map incident reports Indian Ocean, March 2015
D
A; B; C
E; F; G; H
Approach Robbery Attack Kidnapping Hijack Other
- 17 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
4
Southeast Asia
Since October 2014 pirate activity decreased. But in the reporting period of March a rebound is observed. A total of 18 incidents is recorded.
Robberies represent the majority of the collected incidents. Additionally, two approaches, two hijacks
and one attack are recorded. Comparing the data of last year and those of 2015, piracy related incidents
in Southeast Asia area became more violent. Examples are incident B, K and L. Recently, successful hijackings by armed pirates show a tendency to increase. Incident B as well as incident L represent good
examples. Both of them are located in the broader Singapore Straits area and are of typical type. The
attack (incident A) likely could have end-up in a hijack as well. But due to the evasive manoeuvers and
the involvement of the local navy the pirates aborted the proceedings.
Similar to the previous month, two robberies are located in the anchorage areas of Vietnam (namely
incident C and M). Furthermore, one robbery took
place near Bangkok (Thailand), which is quite uncommon. The same applies to the location of the reported robberies D and R. As usual, several rob-
Comments
beries (for example E, H, I, F, N) are located in the

Increasing violence
broader Singapore Straits area.

Piracy is expanding

Number of incidents rises
Although most of the recorded incidents refer to
typical patterns, a critical development can be observed:
Meanwhile, piracy is spreading all over the Southeast Asia region. Formerly, there were few known piracy hot spots. Hence attention should be paid all the time.
- 18 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
4.1
Incident reports Southeast Asia, March 2015
A
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
B
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Approx. 18nm NNW of Laparan Island, Philippines
07.03.2015
A suspected mother vessel disguised as fishing vessel
0930LT
deployed six high speed skiffs which chased bulk carrier
06°13N 119°50E
BRAHMS underway. The persons onboard the skiffs
Bulk carrier
wearing camouflage clothes circled around and atunderway
tempted to board the ship. Master raised alarm, water
Attack
spray system activated, increased speed, took evasive
manoeuvres, broadcast security messages continuously
via VHF channel 16 and contacted Philippines navy for
assistance. Upon hearing the Philippines navy’s reply on
the VHF channel, the skiffs aborted the attempted attack and moved away.
Approx. 37nm South of Pulau Repong, Indonesia
09.03.2015
Seven pirates, in a speed boat, wearing masks and
armed with guns and long knives boarded and hijacked
2108UTC
product tanker MT SINGA BERLIAN underway. They
01°43N 105°50E
took hostage the crew members, damaged all the comProduct tanker
munication and navigational equipment, transferred
underway
the MFO cargo into another vessel and escaped. One
Hijack
crew suffered minor injury during the incident. The
Owners informed the MMEA who dispatched their vessel for investigations.
C
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Vung Tau Anchorage, Vietnam
11.03.2015
Duty AB onboard anchored bulk carrier MAHITIS no0500LT
ticed robbers on deck. He immediately informed the
10°15N 107°02E
duty officer. Alarm raised, crew alerted. The robbers
Bulk carrier
stole ship’s stores and escaped. No injury to crew.
anchored
Type of incident
Robbery, anchorage
D
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Visakhapatnam Anchorage, India
16.03.2015
Robbers boarded anchored product tanker FRONT DEE,
stole ship's stores and escaped unnoticed.
1900LT
17°38N 083°25E
Product tanker
anchored
Type of incident
Robbery, anchorage
- 19 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
E
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Singapore Straits
19.03.2015
0248LT
01°16N 104°16E
Bulk carrier
underway
Type of incident
Robbery. underway
F
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Dumai Port, Malacca Strait
Suspected pirates boarded the ship. Once they were
20.03.2015
discovered the general alarm was raised. Upon
1430UTC
hearing the alarm they escaped overboard.
01°42N 101°29E
Chemical tanker
anchored
Type of incident
Robbery, anchorage
G
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
Approx. 27nm WNW of Pearl Bank
20.03.2015
Persons in 4 speed boats approached a bulk carrier underway. Master raised the alarm, called Malaysian navy
1155LT
via VHF channel, increased speed, took evasive ma06°00N 119°13E
noeuvres, crew mustered and activated anti-piracy preBulk carrier
ventive measures. The boats chased the ship for around
underway
20 minutes and then moved away.
Approach
H
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Singapore Straits
21.03.2015
0530LT
01°06N 103°34E
Container
underway
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
3 robbers boarded bulk carrier ORE PANTANAL underway. Duty crew noticed the robbers and informed the
bridge. Alarm raised and all crew mustered at the
bridge. Master informed the Vessel Traffic Information
System (VTIS) who then dispatched a patrol boat to investigate. The robbers escaped when the patrol boat
approached the vessel. All crew safe.
A container vessel MSC VANCOUVER was boarded by 7
robbers carrying long knives. The 2nd Engineer was
robbed of his personnel effects prior to the robbers escaping. The Master informed the Singapore authorities
who initiated navigation broadcasts to warn other vessels operating in the area.
- 20 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
I
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Singapore Straits
21.03.2015
0100LT
01°13N 103°58E
Bulk carrier
underway
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
J
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia
21.03.2015
5 robbers armed with a gun and knives boarded anchored bulk carrier UNION EXPLORER. They took hos0230LT
tage the duty AB and tied him up. The robbers stole
03°56N 098°45E
ships stores from the paint locker and escaped. The AB
Bulk carrier
managed to untie himself and informed bridge who
anchored
Robbery, anchorage raised the alarm. Crew mustered and a search was carried out.
Type of incident
K
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
L
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Type of incident
4 robbers boarded bulk carrier CAPETAN GIORGIS underway. Duty Engineer spotted the robbers and informed the bridge. Alarm raised, crew mustered and
Master informed the Vessel Traffic Information System
(VTIS). Seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped
empty handed. Singapore Coast Guard boarded the
vessel for investigation. All crew safe.
Chittagong Anchorage, Bangladesh
21.03.2015
Armed robbers boarded anchored tug boat SOUTHWIND and stole ship's stores and properties. Alarm
2100LT
raised and crew mustered. As the crew approached the
22°06N 091°44E
robbers threw stones at the crew resulting in the MasTug boat
ter being injured. The robbers escaped with the stolen
anchored
Robbery, anchorage items in their boat.
Approx. 18 nm East of Tioman Island, Malaysia
22.03.2015
Around 10 pirates armed with guns and knives boarded
the offshore tug boat towing a barge. They entered the
2215LT
bridge, apprehended the bridge team, then took them
02°50N 104°30E
to the Chief Engineer's cabin where they robbed and
Tug boat
held them hostage. The pirates took the Chief Engineer
underway
to the engine room and transferred part of the tug's
Hijack
bunkers into a small tanker. Before departing the pirates stole some equipment and damaged the tug's
communication equipment. The entire operation lasted
about 5 hours.
- 21 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
M
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Cailan Outer Anchorage, Vietnam
23.03.2015
Robbers boarded anchored wood chip carrier PAX
SILVA, broke into the forward store, stole ship's prop0430LT
erty and escaped unnoticed. Further information will
20°43N 107°11E
follow once obtained.
Wood Chip Carrier
Type of incident
Robbery, anchorage
N
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Singapore Straits
23.03.2015
0630LT
01°10N 103°28E
Container
underway
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
O
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Tioman coast, Malaysia
25.03.2015
A product tanker SRI PHUKET was approached by possible pirates. The tanker has reported as being safe. Fur0725UTC
ther information will follow once obtained.
02°58N 104°43E
Type of incident
Approach
P
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Dolphin Buoy No.16, Bangkok, Thailand
25.03.2015
4 robbers armed with knives boarded berthed bulk carrier GLOBAL TRINITY. Alarm raised and crew mustered.
1930LT
Seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped with
13°42N 100°33E
stolen ship's properties.
Bulk carrier
berthed
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
anchored
While sailing, four potential robbers were spotted attempting to board container ship MSC ROSA M. The
Master informed the Singapore Port Operation Control
Centre (POCC) about the incident. Subsequently, a
search was conducted and it was determined that no
perpetrators were on board the ship. No damage to the
ship, nothing stolen and no injury to the crew. Singapore Police Coast Guard (PCG) and Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) were informed by Singapore POCC. Indonesian Authority was notified.
Product tanker
underway
- 22 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
Q
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Singapore Straits
29.03.2015
2015LT
01°05N 103°35E
Product tanker
underway
Type of incident
Robbery, underway
R
Date:
Time:
Posn:
Ship:
Status of ship:
Kakinada Inner Anchorage, India
30.03.2015
4 robbers in a fishing boat approached anchored
dredger BRABO. 2 robbers boarded the ship. They were
0045LT
noticed by the 2nd Officer on routine rounds, who in16°59N 082°18E
formed the bridge and raised the alarm. Seeing the
Dregder
alerted crew the robbers escaped without stealing anyanchored
Robbery, anchorage thing. Pilot Station informed.
Type of incident
Ship's crew noticed 3 robbers on the poop deck. Alarm
raised, crew mustered on the bridge and all water tight
doors locked. A search was carried out and engine
spares were discovered missing. VTIS (vessel traffice information system) informed.
- 23 -
__________________________________________________________________________________
Map incident reports Southeast Asia, March 2015
C; M;
J; P
D; K; R
E; H; I; L;
B; L
G; O
F; N; Q
Approach Robbery Attack Kidnapping Hijack Other
- 24 -
A