ifc weekly report 09-15 may 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

103 Tanah Merah Coast Road, #02-01

Singapore 498750

Tel: +65 9626 8965 (Mobile)

+65 6594 5728 (Office)

Fax: +65 6594 5734

[email protected]

www.infofusioncentre.gov.sg

17 May 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

MARSEC WEEKLY REPORT

09 - 15 May 15

Figure 1: Location of Incidents in IFC Area of Interest

For the period from 09 15 May 15, IFC received information as follows:

Piracy / Sea Robbery / Sea Theft 5 Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated

Fishing (IUU) Fishing

8

Irregular Human Migration 6 Weapons Trafficking -

Maritime Incident 7 Contraband Trafficking 6

Natural Event - Maritime Terrorism -

Note: 1 x IUU Fishing Incident, 2x Contraband Trafficking Incident, 9 x Maritime Incident and 1 x Piracy/Sea

Robbery/Sea Theft Incident were reported out of the reporting period.

OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS

Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft

09 May Two Bulk Carriers/ Attempted Sea Theft / 3nm North of

Pulau Pemping

Details: Two perpetrators armed with long

knives boarded the stern-part of a Bulk

Carrier, off Pulau Pemping at 090156H .

The perpetrators escaped after security

alarm sounded. No losses or injuries were

reported.

On a separate incident, five perpetrators

who were sighted in the engine room of a

bulk Carrier, off Pulau Pemping at

090312H. The perpetrators escaped after

security alarm sounded. No losses or

injuries were reported.

10 May Chemical Tanker/ Attempted Sea Theft/ Dumai Tanker Anchorage/

Marshall Islands Flag

Details: The crew of an anchored Marshall

Islands registered chemical tanker noticed

two perpetrators trying to gain access into

the engine room by opening the butterfly

nuts of the skylight. Ship alarm was raised

and the perpetrators escaped. There were

no injuries and nothing was reported

stolen.

11 May Bulk Carrier/ Sea Theft/ Phu My Anchorage/ Singapore Flagged

Details: Master of a Singapore registered

Bulk Carrier reported about a sea theft

incident, while the vessel was anchored at

Phu My anchorage. The Master reported

some stores and missing and the deck store

1 and 2 padlocks were found broken.

13 May Container Ship/ Attempted Sea Theft/ 6nm Southeast Pulau Nipa/

Malaysia Flagged

Details: Master of Malaysian container

ship MTT TAWAU reported to POCC

Singapore, about sighting of unknown

number of perpetrators on board at

0336LT on 13 May. The master later

reported no items stolen and no

perpetrators found at 0448H, after their

search.

Events reported outside of the period:

08 May General Cargo Ship/ Sea Theft/ South China Sea

Details: Master of a General Cargo Ship

reported some engines spares missing

while en-route to Xiamen China. Vessel

departed Singapore on the 6 May 15 at

2145 LT.

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

09 May Foreign Fishing Vessel/ 330 Ton Illegal Catches/ Sedili/ Malaysia

Details: Foreign fishing vessel, with 38

foreign crewmen, was under investigation,

by Malaysian Maritime Enforcement

Agency for unauthorised anchoring and

330 ton of illegal fishing catches.

09 May Six Foreign Fishermen/ Fishing Without Permits/ Langkawi

Island/ Malaysia

Details: Six foreign fishermen arrested by

Malaysian authority, for fishing without

permit off Langkawi.

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

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10 May Three Foreign Fishing Vessels/ Illegal Fishing Area/Gulf of

Thailand/ Thailand

Details: Three foreign fishing vessels,

with 23 foreign crewmen, were charged by

Thailand authority for breaking

immigration law and illegal fishing

activities after being caught off an oil drill

platform in the Gulf of Thailand.

11 May Three Groups Of Local Fishing Vessels/ Fishing Without

Permit/ Anhawan Island, Ajuy /

Philippines

Details: Three groups of local fishermen

were caught without permit for fishing off

Anhawan Island, Philippines.

11 May Local Fishing Boat/ Danish Siene Fishing/ Waters of Barangay San

Francisco, Barotac Viejo/ Philippines

Details: Local fishing boat arrested and

charged for using Danish Siene fishing net,

while fishing in waters off Barangay San

Francisco, Barotac Viejo, Philippines.

11 May Three Foreign Fishing Boats/ Fishing Without Permit/ Pulau Kendi/

Malaysia

Details: Three foreign fishing boats, with

11 crew members, were seized by the

Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency

(MMEA) after it entered into Malaysian

waters and fish without permit, 42 nm

from Pulau Kendi.

12 May Nigeria Registered Vessel And Kiribati Registered Tugboat / RM 23

Million Worth Of Toothfish/ 3.5 nm

South-East Tanjung Penyusup/

Malaysia

Details: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement

Agency seized RM 23 million worth of

toothfish from a Nigeria registered vessel

and a Kiribati registered Tugboat about

3.5nm south-east of Tanjung Penyusup on

9 May.

14 May A Passenger Launch/ Contraband Current Net/ Meghna River/ Bangladesh

Details: Bangladesh authority seized

contraband current nets, used illegally in fishing, a passenger launch on the Meghna

river in Chandpur district on 14 May.

Events reported outside of the period

07 May A Foreign Fishing Vessel/ Poaching/ Batanes/ Philippines

Details: A foreign fishing vessel, with six

crew members, was caught by the

Philippine Coast Guard on 7 May and was

charged on 8 May for poaching in waters

off Batanes, Philippines.

Maritime Incidents

09 May Tanker/ Fail to Report Arrival/ Pulau Manukan/ Malaysia

Details: Malaysia Maritime Enforcement

Agency, Kota Kinabalu, detained a tanker,

with 18 foreign crew members, 5nm from

Pulau Manukan, for failing to report their

arrival into the waters of Malaysia.

09 May Offshore Ship/ Distress Signal/ Southern Coast Kalimantan/ Indonesia

Details: An offshore ship issued a distress

signal on May 9, 2015, at 1700hr at 03 42S 112 30E in the Java sea around 15 miles south of the southern coast of

Kalimantan Island, west of Banjarmasin.


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10 May Boatman Kidnapped/ Sea off Pangutaran Island/ Philippines

Details: A boatman was kidnapped by a

gunmen at sea off Pangutaran Island, near

the southern Filipino province of Sulu was

released unharmed.

11 May Fish Carrier/ Aground off Yeosu/ Korea Strait

Details: A fish carrier ran aground off

Yeosu, South Korea, Korea Strait, in the

morning May 10. Korean Coast Guard is

assisting to prevented fuel leakage.

11 May Fisherman Dead/ Strike By Storm/ Quang Ninh/ Vietnam

Details: A 19-year-old fisherman in

central Thanh Hoa Province, reported

missing after a whirlwind struck his boat

was found.

13 May Two Vessels/ Collision/ Lauis/ Philippines

Details: Two vessels, MV Starcraft 9 and

MV Our Lady of Faith, involved in a

collision in Lauis Ledge, off Talisay City,

were under preventive suspension.

14 May Cargo Carrier/ Aground off Nagoya/ Japan

Details: A cargo carrier ran aground off

Nagoya, Japan, in the morning 14 May.

Events reported outside of the period

05 May Cargo Vessel/ Aground Due Mis-Navigation/ General Santos City,

Mindanao/ Philippines

Details: A cargo vessel ran aground, due

to a navigational error, near General

Santos City, Mindanao on May 5. The

vessel was refloated in the morning of

May 7 with the help of the Harbor Star

Shipping Services.

05 May Cargo Vessel/ Aground Due Mis-Navigation/ Waters in Barangay

Bawing/ Philippines

Details: A cargo vessel ran aground off

water in Barabgay Bawing, due to mis-

navigation while avoiding fishing vessels

on 5 May. The vessel was safely removed

on 7 May by Philippines Coast Guard.

06 May Cargo Ship/ Aground / Water off Kerobokan Beach/ Indonesia

Details: A cargo ship, loaded with cement,

ran aground 500 m off Kerobokan Beach

in Southwestern Bali on May 6, while en

route to the Moluccas archipelago,

Indonesia. There were 17 crew members

on board and the vessel is awaiting

salvage.

07 May Nine Filipinos Rescued/ Distress Motor Boat/ Waters off

Vietnam/ South China Sea

Details: A Vietnam fishing vessel rescued

nine Filipinos, including a one-year-old

baby, from a drifted small boat with engine

failure in water off Vietnam.

07 May 17 Rescued/ Distress Motor Boat/ Engine Failure/ Bohol Province/

Philippines

Details: 17 people, comprising 10 local

tourists and seven crew members, were

rescued by the Philippines Coast Guard,

after their boat experience engine failure in

water off Cabilao Island, Bohol Province,

Philippines.


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07 May Fast Craft and Motor Boat/ Collision/ Ormoc Port/ Philippines

Details: A fast craft, with 162 passengers,

encountered engine trouble and collided

with a motor boat on 7 May in Ormoc

Port. One of the passengers on the fast

craft was injured. The masters of both

vessels were under investigation by Coast

Guard Centre Ormoc.

08 May Landing Craft/ Capsized / Somber, Balikpapan/ Indonesia

Details: A landing Craft capsized, killing

the master and injured six others. Many

gas cylinders were adrift, as the craft was

carrying 37,000 3kg gas cylinders.

08 May Tanker and Fishing Vessel / Collision/ Busan/ Korea

Details: A tanker and a fishing vessel

collided on May 8, off Busan. The three

crew members from the fishing vessel

were rescued after it sank, while the tanker

was taken into Busan.

08 May Distressed Cargo Vessel With 33 Personnel Rescued/ Engine Failure/

Lugus Island, Sulu/ Philippines

Details: Philippines Coast Guard rescued

33 personnel from a distressed cargo

vessel, with engine failure, while on its

way to South Ubian, Tawi-Tawi.

Natural Event

NSTR

Irregular Human Migration 10 May 150 Personnel Adrift/ North Aceh Waters/ Indonesia

Details: Aceh Search and Rescue (SAR)

agency evacuated 150 foreigners, on

wooden boat reported to have been adrift

in the waters of the Malacca Strait. The

150 foreigners have been handed over to

the Immigration Agency.

10 May 469 Boat People Stranded/ North Aceh Waters/ Indonesia

Details: Aceh Search and Rescue agency

rescued 469 foreigners, including women

and children, on wooden boat stranded in

the waters off North Aceh.

10 May Over 1000 Illegal Migrants/ Langkawi/ Malaysia

Details: Malaysian authority intercepted

three boats, with more than 1000 illegal

migrants, trying to land in Langkawi.

12 May 116 Illegal Migrants/ St Martin/ Bangladesh

Details: Bangladesh authorities detained a

trawler, with 116 illegal migrants, in the

Bay of Bengal off St Martin, on 12 May.

12 May Seven Arrested/ Fishery Slavery/ Benjina/ Indonesia

Details: Indonesian authority arrested

seven foreign national, who were charged

with committing human trafficking and

slavery in the remote island of Benjina,

Indonesia.

13 May Over 500 Illegal Migrants/ Penang/ Malaysia

Details: Malaysian authority found more

than 500 illegal migrants abandoned by

their traffickers, off the coast of Penang on

13 May.


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Contraband Trafficking

10 May Five Arrested/ 1,500 Ton Rare Earths/ Shandong/ China

Details: China authority arrested five

suspects involved in smuggling 1,500 ton

of rare earth into east China Shandong

Province in 10 May.

10 May Four Arrested/ 360 Kg Sea Cucumbers/ Tuticorin/ India

Details: Indian Authority arrested four

people, in Tuticorin, on charges of

smuggling 360 kilograms of endangered

sea cucumbers.

11 May 13 Arrested/ Smuggling Indian Pangolin/ India

Details: Indian Authority arrested 13

people involved in smuggling Indian

pangolins to China and Vietnam.

12 May Drug Gang Nabbed/ 1.5 Million Methamphetamine Pills/

Mekong River/ Thailand

Details: Members of a drug gang had been

arrested carrying more than 1.5 million

methamphetamine pills, while delivering

the drugs across Mekong River to Nong

Khai province.

12 May Seven Men/ 2,340kg of Live Crabs/ Jalan Apas/ Malaysia

Details: The Marine Operations Force

(MOF) foiled an attempt, by seven men, to

smuggle in about 2,340kg of live crabs

into Sabah through the Tawau waters.

13 May Seven Men Detained/ 500,000 Yaba Tablets/ Chittagong/ Bangladesh

Details: Bangladesh authority detained

seven crew members from a fishing

trawler, who were found smuggling

500,000 Yaba tablets, in Chittagong.

Events reported outside of the period:

7 May Two Sampans/ 4 Million HK Dollars Worth of Electronic Products/

Hong Kong/ China

Details: Hong Kong Customs foiled a

suspected smuggling attempt and seized

about 4 million HK dollars (about 520,000

U.S. dollars) worth of undeclared

electronic products from two sampans.

8 May 10 Arrested/ US$116,000 Worth of Illegal Cigarette/ Quang Ninh/

Vietnam

Details: Vietnamese Authority

confiscated a large haul of 80,000 packs of

smuggled cigarettes, worth US$116,000,

and arrested 10 crew members, from a

ship, in Quang Ninh.

Recommendations

IFC Advises:

1. All mariners to report any incidents timely to the nearest coastal state and IFC at the earliest possible time.

2. Ships moving at slow speed or choosing to remain at anchor in areas where sea robbery/theft is regularly reported to be vigilant and to adopt necessary security measures.


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3. All mariners to take note on the description of the perpetrators and to take photos of the perpetrators if possible.

4. Shippers and Seafarers operating in Sulu Sea and in vicinity of East Sabah Waters are strongly recommended to be vigilant and to establish contact with both Malaysian and

Philippines Authorities to report their presence.

5. Shippers are advised to take note that al-Qaeda, in its recently launched English language online magazine Resurgence, has called for the disruption of global trade and shipping through acts of piracy, among other tactics. Shippers are therefore advised to exercise

vigilance and to adopt self-defensive measures as stated in BMP4, especially when

transiting narrow choke points and known sea robbery/piracy hot spots.

Note: Information herein was derived from various internal and external sources

such as Focal Points, OPCENs and other maritime stakeholders. Shippers should

remain vigilant especially in areas where the threat level is assessed to be above one

in accordance with the IFC Spot Commentary 2/14 and IFC quarterly assessment

report. Ships should apply the appropriate security measures (such as BMP4 or

Tugs and Barge Guide). Ship masters should also be aware and refer to the

Maritime Security Charts Q6112 and Q6113, both published by the UK

Hydrographic Office.

CONTACT

In case of any doubt, incident at sea, suspicious approach or unusual observed activity at sea,

please contact IFC: IFC Duty Officer:

Email : [email protected] or [email protected]

Tel : +65 9626 8965 (Mobile)

+65 6594 5728 (Office)

Fax : +65 6594 5734

The IFC seeks your observations in the course of your normal business. The IFC would like

to remind mariners to be mindful of national and international laws, company and other

policy requirements and also health and safety obligations, whilst recording these

observations. The reporting of such events to IFC does not absolve you of your obligations

towards coastal/ port/ flag authorities.

ifc weekly report 09-15 may 15

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