Five men armed with guns and knives have targeted an Egyptian-flagged bulker in waters off Singapore.
The incident involving the 57,300-dwt Wadi Feran (built 2011) occurred in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
Details of the incident were confirmed by the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy & Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
The incident occurred 1.3 nautical miles from Pulau Takong Light (Indonesia) in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme.
“The master reported the incident to Singapore Vessel Traffic Information Systems and a safe navigational broadcast was initiated,” ReCAAP said.
The Singapore Police Coast Guard boarded the vessel on its arrival at the anchorage and conducted a search, but no perpetrators were found.
ReCAAP described the attack as a Category 2 incident, which is said to be “moderately significant”.
In this category, the perpetrators are likely to be armed with knives or machetes and in some incidents guns.
Crew members are typically threatened or held hostage temporarily and in some cases they suffer injury and physical violence. However, there were no reported injuries on this occasion.
NYK’s 251,000-dwt capesize Orihime (built 2012) was targeted by robbers while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in the early hours of 8 July.
Four perpetrators are said to have been spotted on the stern of the bulker, which had just arrived in Singapore waters from Tubarao, Brazil.
ReCAAP said the master raised the alarm and the crew mustered to conduct a search, but no perpetrators were found on board.
Attacks on shipping in Asia’s most important strategic waterway were almost halved in the first six months of 2024, according to a report by ReCAAP.
Twenty-one incidents were reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore between January and June, a 49% decline from the corresponding period last year.
Most of the reported incidents, 81%, occurred on board bulkers. The remaining incidents targeted tugs towing barges, offshore structures or chemical tankers.
ReCAAP said most incidents were opportunistic theft committed by perpetrators who were “non-confrontational” and adopted a “hit-and-run” approach.
However, a report by the International Maritime Bureau said violence against seafarers was increasing despite the overall drop in piracy cases.
