E 4 ALBERT EMBANKMENT LONDON SE1 7SR Telephone: +44 (0)20 7735 7611 Fax: +44 (0)20 7587 3210 MSC.4/Circ.223 16 July 2015 REPORTS ON ACTS OF PIRACY AND ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS Issued monthly Acts reported during April 2015 1 In pursuance of the Maritime Safety Committee's instruction to the Secretariat to issue monthly reports of all incidents of piracy 1 and armed robbery against ships 2 reported to the Organization, the annex hereto provides, in the tabulated format agreed by the Committee, the summary of reports on incidents received between 1 and 30 April 2015 including a distinction between acts of piracy and acts of armed robbery against ships (annex 1) and attempted attacks (annex 2). The Secretariat has, since July 2002, classified separately any reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea ( or territorial waters) visàvis acts of armed robbery allegedly committed in port areas, as well as attempted acts of armed robbery. 1 "Piracy" is defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) (article 101) as follows: "Piracy consists of any of the following acts: (a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed: (i) (ii) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft; against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State; (b) (c) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft; any act inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in subparagraph (a) or (b)." 2 "Armed robbery against ships" is defined in the Code of Practice for the Investigation of Crimes of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships (resolution A.1025(26), annex, paragraph 2.2), as follows: "Armed robbery against ships means any of the following acts: (a) (b) any illegal act of violence or detention or any act of depredation, or threat thereof, other than an act of piracy, committed for private ends and directed against a ship or against persons or property on board such a ship, within a State's internal waters, archipelagic waters and territorial sea; any act of inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described above." I:\CIRC\MSC\04\MSC.4CIRC.223 (E).docx
MSC.4/Circ.223 Page 2 2 Further, and as instructed by the Committee (MSC 89/25, paragraphs 18.9 and 18.10), the Secretariat has opened a "piracy and armed robbery" module on the Global Integrated Shipping (GISIS) (http://gisis.imo.org) in order to improve the timeliness of reporting of incidents and to enable users to generate their own search criteria and produce customizable reports. This database is now configured for public, readonly access and is searchable. Reports can be compiled in GISIS directly by Member States and registered public users. These reports can now include followup information, for example dates of release of hijacked ships. 3 Previous incidents reported to the Organization since the fiftyninth session of the Committee have been circulated by various MSC circulars, those issued during the previous 12 months and up to 31 March 2015 being, MSC.4/Circ.210, MSC.4/Circ.211, MSC.4/Circ.212, MSC.4/Circ.213, MSC.4/Circ.214, MSC.4/Circ.215, MSC.4/Circ.216, MSC.4/Circ.217, MSC.4/Circ.218, MSC.4/Circ.219 (Annual Report), MSC.4/Circ.220, MSC.4/Circ.221 and MSC.4/Circ.222. *** I:\CIRC\MSC\04\MSC.4CIRC.223 (E).docx
IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS 1 DONGFANG GLORY Product tanker 4347 9554872 01/04/2015 13:03 UTC Appr. 62nm north of Pulau Uwi 02 09.50' N 107 32.32' E ANNEX I Acts of piracy and armed robbery allegedly committed against ships reported by Member States or s in consultative status Around 1525 pirates armed with pistols boarded the product tanker underway. All crew members were held, while the pirates damaged all the equipment on board and stole the crew's personal belongings. The pirates also transferred the ship s cargo into another vessel before fleeing. All crew are safe Pirates took control of the ship, 15 crew members held and their personal property stolen. Ship s equipment damaged and oil cargo siphoned into another vessel SSAS activated No MSC.4/Circ.223 ANNEX I Tanker escorted to safe port by n warship 2 XUAN HIEU GROUP 19 Viet Nam 1599 9563316 20/04/2015 22:58 LT Appr. 42nm north of Tioman Island 03 36.00' N 104 18.00' E Pirates armed with knives boarded the ship underway. They held all 13 crew members, stole ship s and crew's cash, property and documents, as well as the crew's personal belongings, before fleeing. No injuries to the crew. Incident reported to Viet Nam Maritime Security Centre. All 13 crew members held. Ship s and crew's cash, property and documents stolen Viet Nam Maritime Security Centre, (Viet Nam) 3 GREAT OCEAN Hong Kong, China 44543 9592109 22/04/2015 03:15 LT Appr. 15nm west of Horsbugh Lighthouse, Straits of Malacca and 01 15.30' N 104 10.30' E While sailing, five pirates were spotted in the engine room of the bulk carrier. The ship s alarm was raised and the. Upon seeing the alerted crew the pirates fled empty handed. Subsequently, the crew conducted a search but no pirates were found on board. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing stolen. While underway, five robbers were spotted in the engine room. Alarm raised and crew alerted. Seeing the alerted crew the robbers escaped empty handed. All crew safe. Alarm raised, crew mustered and search conducted on board Vessel Traffic and Coast Guard (), ICCIMB Piracy Reporting Centre the Navy and the n authorities 4 AILSA CRAIG I Special purpose ship Panama 150340 8907319 24/04/2015 01:45 LT WEST AFRICA Appr. 13nm Off Bonny Island Nigeria 04 13.15' N 007 23.53' E Ten suspected pirates in a fast wooden boat, armed with guns, approached the moored FSO (Floating, Storage & Offloading). Four pirates boarded the ship using a ladder. Upon spotting them the duty crew informed the Master who raised the alarm and mustered all crew in a safe room. Armed naval personnel on board fired a warning shot resulting in the pirates aborting and moving away. A security message was sent to all ships in the vicinity. Alarm raised and No Naval personnel on board fired a warning shot * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 1 of 5
IN TERRITORIAL WATERS 1 SILVER FERN Container ship Panama 13310 9136591 01/04/2015 04:14 LT Appr. 5.5 nm southwest of Pulau Nipa, Straits of Malacca and 01 04.13' N 103 36.55' E While sailing, five unknown persons armed with knives and tools boarded the container ship from two boats. The on the bridge, informed authorities and subsequently requested that authorities conduct a search of the ship. n authorities conducted the search on board but nothing irregular found. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing reported stolen. Crew mustered on the bridge, informed authorities and requested that authorities conduct a search on board VTIS and Guard () Search on board the ship conducted by n authorities 2 NEW FRONTIER Oil tanker Hong Kong, China 156726 9379727 02/04/2015 05:36 LT Appr. 5.53nm south of Pulau Nipah (Straits of Malacca and ) 01 03.00' N 103 39.00' E Two robbers boarded the tanker underway. The alarm was raised and the. Upon seeing the crew's alertness, the robbers escaped empty handed. Alarm raised and VTIS Patrol boat escorted boat ship to safe port 3 GRAND RODOSI Liberia 37519 8800327 11/04/2015 03:50 LT Appr.12nm NNE off Bintan Island 01 25.00' N 104 37.00' E Duty A/B on board the anchored ship spotted robbers on the poop deck and informed the OOW. The alarm was raised and the crew alerted. Upon seeing the alertness of the crew, the robbers escaped empty handed. Alarm raised and No 4 FAR FOSNA Supply ship NIS (Norway) 2766 9060364 15/04/2015 15:28 LT Appr. 7nm northwest off Pulau Nipa, Straits of Malacca and 01 12.60' N 103 33.00' E While the supply ship was underway, towing an unmanned drillship (Noble Paul Wolff), unknown persons in a sampan were spotted boarding the drillship. They eventually fled in their sampan with stores stolen from the drillship. The master was unable to conduct a search on board the drillship due to the long distance between the drillship and the supply ship. No injury to the crew and no damage to the ship. Ship s stores stolen Alarm raised, crew mustered and incident reported to flag state Bangladesh Coast Guard () 5 PELIKAAN Yacht Australia 25 15/04/2015 23:00 LT NORTH ATLANTIC OCEAN Baie de PortàPiment Haiti Around 1015 robbers in a boat, armed with machetes, clubs and sticks, approached the anchored yacht. They went on board, violently assaulted the skipper and his wife, while ransacking the yacht. The robbers stole personal belongings, navigational equipment and other property before fleeing. Skipper made some Mayday calls on VHF but received no response. The following morning, locals assisted the skipper and his wife, and informed local police who are investigating the incident. The skipper and his wife were hospitalised with significant injuries resulting from the assault. Skipper and wife sustained severe injuries. Their personal belongings and yacht s property were stolen Horn sounded and MAYDAY calls transmitted Local Police Incident under by Local Police * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 2 of 5
IN TERRITORIAL WATERS 6 ALAM SURIA Panama 17986 9561916 16/04/2015 02:30 LT Appr. 4.6NM SSE of Nipah Islands, 01 03.00' N 103 40.00' E Five robbers armed with knives boarded the bulk carrier underway and entered the engine room store unnoticed. Duty oiler on routine rounds was threatened with a knife and tied up. The 3/E spotted them and raised the alarm, resulting in the robbers fleeing with stolen ship's stores. Vessel Traffic informed. Ship's stores stolen Vessel Traffic, () Coast Guard boarded the ship for at Anchorage 7 SPOTTAIL Product tanker Marshall Islands 40975 9409479 18/04/2015 04:45 LT Appr. 1nm west of Helen Mar Reef, Straits of Malacca and 01 07.56' N 103 45.52' E While sailing, one unauthorised person was spotted on board. The ship s alarm was raised in response, resulting in the unauthorised person jumping overboard and fleeing in a speed boat. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing stolen. Alarm raised Vessel Traffic () the Navy and the n authorities 8 KARA SEA Oil tanker 59180 9402328 20/04/2015 04:10 LT Appr. 5nm South of Pulau Nipah (Straights of Malacca and ) 01 04.00' N 103 40.00' E Four robbers armed with knives boarded the tanker underway. Duty crew spotted the robbers in the engine room and raised the alarm. Upon hearing the alarm and seeing the crew's alertness, the robbers escaped empty handed. VTIS informed. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing stolen. Alarm raised Vessel Traffic, () the Navy and the n authorities 9 HUGLI SPIRIT Chemical tanker Bahamas 29242 9283784 23/04/2015 04:31 LT Appr. 3.4nm south of Tajung Ayam, Johor Straits of Malacca and 01 16.85' N 104 11.38' E While sailing, duty wiper on board spotted two suspected robbers armed with knives in the steering gear room of the ship. He informed the C/E who informed the Master. The alarm was raised and the. Upon sounding of the alarm the C/E saw five robbers exiting the engine room. Subsequently, the crew conducted a search, following which it was determined that the robbers had stolen generator spares before fleeing. The incident was reported to the VTIS. At 1010 LT, the Coast Guard boarded the tanker for. Alarm raised, crew mustered and search conducted on board Vessel Traffic (), ICCIMB Piracy Reporting Centre the Navy and the n authorities. Ship boarded by Coast Guard for * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 3 of 5
IN TERRITORIAL WATERS 10 FRONTIER YOUTH Panama 92752 9650779 25/04/2015 04:00 LT Appr. 7nm ESE of Tanjung Penyusop, Johor Robbers boarded a bulk carrier underway. They forced their way into the engine room, stole engine spares and fled. The 2/E realised some items were missing while retrieving spares from the engine room. Engine spares stolen No 11 XPRESS BRAHMAPUTRA Container ship 10752 9152911 25/04/2015 21:55 LT INDIAN OCEAN Chittagong Anchorage Bangladesh 22 11.00' N 091 43.00' E Four robbers in a boat approached the anchored container ship. One of the robbers armed with a knife boarded the ship and stole ship s stores. Duty crew spotted the robber, raised the alarm and mustered the crew. The robbers eventually fled in their boat with the stolen stores. Port Control and Coast Guard informed. A coast guard patrol boat was dispatched to the ship for. Ship's stores stolen Alarm raised and Port authorities and coast guard Coast Guard patrol boat dispatched to the ship for 12 MEDI YOKOHAMA Panama 32370 9660592 26/04/2015 01:52 LT Appr. 7nm southwest of Tg Ayam, Straits of Malacca and 01 15.00' N 104 07.00' E Two robbers boarded the ship underway and were spotted in the engine room. The Master raised the alarm and mustered the crew. Upon hearing the alarm and seeing the crew's alertness, the robbers fled empty handed. Subsequently, the crew conducted a search but no robbers were found on board. VTIS informed. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing stolen. Alarm raised, crew mustered and search conducted on board Vessel Traffic, () the Navy and the n authorities 13 VOLME Bahamas 29414 9284544 26/04/2015 02:55 LT Appr. 4.76nm southwest of Tg Ayam, Straits of Malacca and 01 15.81' N 104 10.28' E While sailing, five/six potential robbers were spotted in the engine room of the ship. The alarm was raised and the. Subsequently, the crew conducted a search but no robbers were found on board. No injury to the crew, no damage to the ship and nothing stolen. Alarm raised, crew mustered and search conducted on board Vessel Traffic () the Navy and informed the n authority * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 4 of 5
IN PORT AREA 1 KOTA WISATA Container ship 17125 9071208 03/04/2015 08:00 LT Vung Tau Anchorage Viet Nam 10 07.40' N 107 05.90' E While at anchor, the 2/E spotted five robbers on the poop deck carrying four buckets of hydraulic oil and other items. He contacted the bridge and the crew was mustered. Subsequently, a search was conducted on board the ship by the crew, during which it was determined that the lock to the steering gear room was broken and some items were stolen from the paint store. No injury to the crew. Lock to the steering gear room broken and paint store items stolen Search conducted on board the ship No () 2 VOGE FANTASY General cargo ship Liberia 19354 9117600 03/04/2015 13:00 LT Two robbers boarded the general cargo ship at Sandakan Port Berth No. 4 berth. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered. Upon seeing the crew's alertness, the 05 48.00' N robbers fled with stolen ship property. Local Police 118 05.00' E boarded the ship for. Ship s property stolen Alarm raised and Local Police Ship boarded by local police for 3 HIGH MARS Product tanker Hong Kong, China 29733 9366275 09/04/2015 01:44 LT WEST AFRICA Lagos Anchorage Nigeria 06 17.00' N 003 23.00' E Nigerian Navy personnel on board the anchored product tanker spotted two robbers on the ship and fired warning shots, resulting in the robbers jumping overboard and fleeing. One of the robbers was apprehended by a Nigerian patrol boat. All crew members safe. Nigerian Navy Patrol boat dispatched to the ship. One robber apprehended by Nigerian patrol boat 4 GOLDEN ADVENTURE Product tanker Liberia 6153 9510577 24/04/2015 04:45 LT INDIAN OCEAN Chittagong Outer Anchorage C Bangladesh 22 07.00' N 091 47.00' E Duty A/B on board the anchored product tanker spotted a motor boat approaching from the starboard quarter. The alarm was raised and the on the bridge. Three armed robbers boarded the ship, stole ship's property and fled. Ship's property stolen Alarm raised and Port Control and Coast Guard 5 ELPIDA GR Malta 29862 9254630 25/04/2015 01:20 LT INDIAN OCEAN Chittagong Outer Port Limit (OPL) Bangladesh 22 06.00' N 091 45.00' E Six armed robbers boarded the bulk carrier at anchor. The alarm was raised, the and Port Control informed. The robbers stole ship's property before fleeing.coast Guard boarded the ship for. Ship's property stolen Alarm raised and Port Control and Coast Guard Patrol boat dispatched for * * * * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 5 of 5
IN TERRITORIAL WATERS 1 PHUBAI PATTRA 3 Product tanker Thailand 3018 9004140 21/04/2015 11:05 LT Appr. 4nm east of Pulau Aur, Johor 02 28.00' N 104 26.00' E ANNEX II Acts of piracy and armed robbery allegedly attempted against ships reported by Member States or s in consultative status While underway, a fishing boat with two outboard engines approached the tanker from astern Seven unknown persons armed with knives were spotted on board the boat. As the boat closed in on the tanker the Master raised the alarm, sounded the fog horn, increased speed, mustered the crew and implemented antipiracy measures. Due to an increase in speed the boat was unable to keep up and moved away. Crew and ship safe. Alarm raised, fog horn sounded, speed increased, and antipiracy measures implemented No MSC.4/Circ.223 ANNEX II 2 CMB BORIS Hong Kong, China 23432 9474228 24/04/2015 01:25 LT WEST AFRICA Appr. 5nm south of Conakry Guinea 09 25.00' N 013 43.00' W Duty A/B on board the anchored bulk carrier spotted a small wooden boat carrying eight unknown persons who were attempting to board the ship. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered. Upon seeing the crew's alertness, the robbers aborted and moved away. Alarm raised and Conakry Port Control 3 CTP FORTUNE Container ship 14855 9181730 27/04/2015 02:30 LT Straits of Malacca and While underway, six persons in a fast unlit boat, armed with guns and knives approached the container ship. As they closed in on the ship the Master raised the alarm, mustered the crew and the duty A/B directed the Aldis Lamp towards the boat, resulting in the boat moving away. VTIS informed. Alarm raised, crew mustered and Aldis lamp directed towards the boat VTIS IN PORT AREA 1 SANTA GIANNINA Container ship Liberia 21531 9141780 01/04/2015 02:30 UTC WEST AFRICA Conakry Anchorage Guinea 09 15.00' N 013 43.00' W Six robbers in a blue hull fishing boat approached and attempted to board the anchored container ship using a hook attached to a pole. One of the robbers pointed a gun at the duty watchman who escaped and raised the alarm. All in a safe room. The Master contacted the CSO, local agents and the Maritime Trade Information Sharing Centre Gulf of Guinea (MTISCGOG) for assistance. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers aborted the attempted boarding and fled. Attempts were made to contact Port control but no response received. The Authorities dispatched a patrol boat to monitor the surrounding waters. Duty watchman threatened by robbers with a gun Robbers' hook attached to ship removed by duty watchman. Alarm raised and crew mustered in a safe room Local Authorities through local agents Patrol boat dispatched by authorities to monitor the surrounding waters * The position given should be as accurate as possible including latitude and longitude coordinates or as a bearing and distance from a conspicuous landmark NOTE: SOUTH AMERICA: (A) Atlantic; (C) Caribbean; (P) Pacific Page 1 of 1