Monthly Piracy Report April 2013

All information presented below are retrieved from ICC Commercial Crime Services (CCS) and IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System. Information are being updated on a monthly basis.

Total Attacks Worldwide: 76
Total Hijackings Worldwide: 4
Vessels held by Somali Pirates: 5
Hostages held by Somali Pirates: 77

For a geographical representation of pirate attacks location please refer to IMB Piracy & Armed Robbery Map, a very valuable tool that shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2013. If exact coordinates are not provided, estimated positions are shown based on information provided. Zoom-in and click on the pointers to view more information of an individual attack. Pointers may be superimposed on each other.

PIRACY & ARMED ROBBERY REPORTS until last week of April

Date: 30.04.2013. Time: 2000 LT. Position: 03:47.30N – 098:42.11E, Belawan port, Indonesia. Vessel type: N/A. Robbers boarded a berthed general cargo ship while crew were involved with customs and immigration and getting the ship ready to discharge. Duty AB noticed the robbers at the poop deck and immediately report to the DO who raised alarm. On seeing alerted crew the robbers escaped with stolen ship stores.
Date: 27.04.2013. Time: 1550 LT. Position: Berth Ocean Quay 106, Belawan Port, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Chemical tanker. Two robbers in a boat approached and boarded a berthed chemical tanker. They broke into the tank cleaning gear locker and stole ship’s properties. Duty crew noticed the robbers, raised the alarm and ran towards the robbers. Upon hearing the alarm, the robbers jumped overboard and escaped with the stolen items in their boat. Incident reported to the local agents.
Date: 26.04.2013. Time: 1830 UTC. Position: 03:48N – 004:57E, Around 83nm WSW of Brass, Nigeria. Vessel type: N/A. Pirates in a boat attempted to attack a container ship underway. Master raised alarm, switched off all ship’s lights, altered course and increased speed. The boat chased the ship for one hour and aborted the attempted attack.
Date: 25.04.2013. Time: 2045 UTC. Position: 04:10N – 005:30E, Around 45nm WSW of Brass, Nigeria. Vessel type: Container ship. Fourteen heavily armed pirates in two boats, one supply boat with the name UTAY 8 and the other is a speed boat with orange hull and blue wheelhouse approached and boarded a container ship underway. The ship raised alarm and crew took shelter in the citadel. The pirates were able to breach the citadel and they kidnapped the Master, C/O, C/E, 2/E and 3/E and escaped with ship’s and crew cash. The remaining crew were reported safe.
Date: 24.04.2013. Time: 0400 – 0510 LT. Position: 01:17.5N – 104:50.5E, About 16nm NE of Bintan Island, Indonesia. Vessel type: Product tanker. Pirates boarded a tanker underway and robbed crew personal belongings and cash and escaped. No injuries to crew and tanker continued passage.
Date: 24.04.2013. Time: 0330 LT. Position: 1° 36.00′ N – 105° 23.00′ E, South China Sea. Vessel type: N/A. Fifteen pirates armed with guns and long knives in three high speed boats boarded the tug underway. They took hostage nine crew members, assaulted some of the crew and tied them up. They ransacked all cabins, stole the ship’s property, crew members’ cash and personal belongings and escaped.
Date: 23.04.2013. Time: 0407 LT. Position: 01:19N – 104:47E, Around 15nm NE of Bintan Island, Indonesia. Vessel type: Tanker. Five pirates armed with a pistol and long knives in a high speed wooden craft approached and boarded an asphalt tanker underway. They stole cash and crew personnel effects and escaped. Master raised the alarm and attempted to contact the coastal authority but received no respond. No injuries to crew.
Date: 22.04.2013. Time: 2250 LT. Position: 1° 19.42′ N – 104° 10.10′ E, Off Tanjung Ayajm, Malaysia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Barge carrier. A crew from a neighbouring barge noticed an unknown tug boat pulling the cargo barge. No injuries to crew reported. Barge was stolen.
Date: 22.04.2013. Time: 2240 LT. Position: 02:31N – 006:50E, Around 133nm South of Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Vessel Type: Container Ship. Armed pirates boarded a container ship underway. They kidnapped four crew members and escaped. No injuries were reported to the remaining crew members who sailed the ship to Senegal. Further details awaiting.
Date: 19.04.2013. Time: 0250 LT. Position: 1° 41.45′ N – 101° 30.74′ E, Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Oil tanker. Four robbers armed with knives boarded the anchored tanker from the poop deck and caught and tied up the duty A/B at knife-point. They tried but failed to enter the engine room. They also failed to open the hatch on the poop deck. They eventually escaped with stolen personal items and the ship’s property.
Date: 18.04.2013. Time: 0010 UTC. Position: 4° 44.80′ S – 11° 48.70′ E, Pointe Noire Anchorage, Congo, West Africa. Vessel type: General cargo ship. Three robbers in a small boat approached and attempted to board an anchored ship. Alert duty crew spotted the robbers climbing the anchor chain and raised the alarm. On hearing the alarm, the robbers jumped into the water and escaped empty handed. Incident reported to port control.
Date: 17.04.2013. Time: 0210 LT. Position: Canpha Outer Anchorage, Viet Nam, South China Sea. Vessel type: Bulk carrier. Three robbers boarded the ship via her forward bow and hawse pipe unnoticed. Duty AB noticed them in the process of lowering ropes into a waiting boat and informed the Master who raised the alarm and alerted the crew. The crew tried to recover the ropes by using the winch but the robbers cut off the ropes and escaped.
Date: 16.04.2013. Time: 0500 LT. Position: 10° 22.00′ N – 75° 33.00′ W, Cartagena Inner Anchorage, Colombia, South America (C). Vessel type: Ro-ro-cargo ship. OOW observed a boat with several persons manoeuvring in the vicinity of the ship. Two watchmen were sent to check and they observed the ship for some time and then while returning heard noises from the aft part of the ship. When watchmen went closer to investigate they saw few robbers near the paint locker. They informed OOW who raised alarm and all the robbers jumped overboard and escaped in their boat. Upon investigation it was found that the paint locker, CO2 station, oxygen locker and engine compartment doors were open and stores stolen. Port control and agent contacted.
Date: 16.04.2013. Time: 0012 UTC. Position: 1° 48.00′ N – 6° 46.00′ E, Around 174nm South of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa. Vessel type: Tanker. Armed pirates in a skiff approached and fired on a tanker underway. Alarm raised, SSAS alert and distress signals activated, fire pump started, crew proceeded to their emergency stations and citadel, speed increased and evasive manoeuvres made. After around 20minutes the skiff aborted the attack and moved away. Crew and vessel safe.
Date: 15.04.2013. Time: 1040 UTC. Position: Guayaquil, Ecuador, Ecuador, South America (P). Vessel type: Container ship. A group of armed robbers in a boat approach and boarded the ship departing from the berth. Alarm raised and all crew members mustered in the accommodation and locked all the doors. The CSO contacted the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre and requested assistance. The Centre contacted the Ecuador Maritime Authorities and a coast guard patrol boat was sent to the location. On arrival it was found that the robbers had left the ship. All crew safe. The ship continued her passage under pilotage with the patrol boat.
Date: 13.04.2013. Time: 0930 UTC. Position: 4° 34.40′ S – 81° 19.10′ W, Talara Anchorage, Peru, South America (P). Vessel type: Tanker. Duty watchman on board an anchored tanker sighted two robbers armed with long knives and notified C/O who raised the alarm. On hearing the alarm, the robbers jumped overboard and escaped with ship’s stores. All crew safe.
Date: 13.04.2013. Time: 0230 LT. Position: 7° 05.60′ S – 112° 39.50′ E, Surabaya Port, Indonesia, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Bulk carrier. Three robbers in a small boat armed with long knives approached the berthed ship. Duty A/B noticed the robbers, informed the D/O and retreated into the accommodation. Alarm raised and crew mustered. Seeing the crew alertness, the robbers escaped without stealing anything. Incident reported to port control. Deck patrols increased.
Date: 11.04.2013. Time: 2330 UTC. Position: 8° 30.00′ N – 13° 11.00′ W, Freetown Inner Roads, Sierra Leone, Sierra Leone, West Africa. Vessel type: General cargo ship. Master on board an anchored ship noticed a boat approaching them and sent an A/B to investigate. The Master noticed that the robbers were already on board and they caught the A/B and laid him on the deck at knife point. Alarm raised, Master and C/O went forward to assist the A/B but the robbers threatened them and they had to retreat into the accommodation and called the security vessel and the company’s local supervisor. The security vessel arrived and investigated but the robbers had escaped with stolen ship’s stores and properties.
Date: 09.04.2013. Time: 0500 LT. Position: 10° 34.00′ N – 107° 01.00′ E, Ho Chi Minh Port, Viet Nam. Vessel type: Bulk carrier. Robbers boarded a bulk carrier at berth unnoticed. They stole ship’s properties and escaped unnoticed.
Date: 06.04.2013. Time: 1300 LT. Position: 3° 56.90′ N – 98° 44.10′ E, Belawan Anchorage, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Chemical tanker. Robbers boarded an anchored tanker unnoticed, stole ship’s properties and escaped unnoticed. The robbery was reported to authorities and local agent. Local agent informed Master that the robbers representative was willing to sell back the stolen properties to the Master.
Date: 05.04.2013. Time: 0640 LT. Position: 17° 39.00′ N – 83° 24.00′ E, Visakhapatnam Anchorage, India, Indian Ocean. Vessel type: Oil tanker. Seven robbers in three fishing boats approached an anchored tanker. Two robbers managed to reach the ship rails using hooks attached to heaving lines but were noticed by the alert duty crew who raised the alarm and prevented them from gaining access to the ship decks. The robbers moved away from the boat and waited a short distance away. Incident reported to port control and a patrol boat came and searched the waters around the tanker.
Date: 04.04.2013. Time: 2200 LT. Position: 1° 42.00′ N – 101° 29.00′ E, Dumai Inner Anchorage, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Oil tanker. Robbers boarded the anchored tanker. They stole engine spares and escaped unnoticed. The theft was noticed the next day when bare foot prints were noticed near the store. Incident reported to the local authorities through the agents.
Date: 03.04.2013. Time: 0330 LT. Position: Adang Bay Anchorage, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Bulk carrier. Two robbers armed with a gun and knives boarded a bulk carrier from the forecastle and took hostage the duty crew at knife point. D/O called him on walkie-talkie but did not receive any response. Another crew was sent immediately from the stern to check the forward part. When he arrived the duty crew was found tied-up. The D/O was alerted and he raised the alarm. Two speed boats were seen departing from the vessel. All crew mustered and went forward to investigate. It was found ship’s stores had been stolen from the forward store.
Date: 03.04.2013. Time: 0300 LT. Position: 1° 42.00′ N – 101° 25.00′ E, Dumai Anchorage, Indonesia, South China Sea. Vessel type: Chemical tanker. Four robbers in a boat came close to board the anchored tanker. The duty officer detected the boat, shouted using loudhailer and flashed light. The watchman blew ship’s horn. The robbers noticed the crew alertness and moved away. All crew safe.
Date: 02.04.2013. Time: 0700 UTC. Position: 0° 52.00′ N – 44° 01.00′ E, Around 13nm South of Baraawe, Somalia, Arabian Sea. Vessel type: General cargo ship. Around seven to eight armed pirates in a skiff approached and fired upon the ship underway. The onboard armed security team fired warning shots resulting in the pirates moving away.
Date: 02.04.2013. Time: N/A. Position: Ho Chi Minh City Port, Viet Nam, South China Sea. Vessel type: Container ship. Robbers boarded vessel, broke padlock of the paint store and took 14 drums of paint.
Date: 01.04.2013. Time: 0900 LT. Position: 34° 50.00′ N – 14° 40.00′ E , At sea, Indian Ocean. Vessel type: Bulk Carrier. A group of boats discovered off ship’s port side. No aggressive actions taken against vessel.
Date: 01.04.2013. Time: N/A. Position: Chittagong anchorage A, Bangladesh. Vessel type: Bulk Carrier. Attacked while discharging. During a routine patrol of vessel by ship staff, approx. 6 robbers armed with long knives were found on forecastle. They were gone by the time crew arrived.