Crewmember Requires Medical Evacuation as Ships are Robbed off Singapore

Authorities in Singapore responded to an “unauthorized boarding” of a chemical tanker in the Singapore Strait friday morning, February 28, and evacuated an injured crewmember. It was the latest in a spike of crimes along the Singapore Strait, but the first this year when a crewmember required medical attention. Later ReCAAP ISC reported there had been two other incidents earlier on Friday with the group warning of a possibility of more assaults on ships.

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the Singapore Civil Defense Force reported that the Singapore-registered chemical tanker Basset (49,875 dwt) was boarded in the early morning hours of Friday, February 28. The incident happened at 0650 local time while the vessel was underway approximately 2 nautical miles outside Singapore’s territorial waters.

The vessel’s AIS signal showed it had departed Tanjung Pelepas, to the west of Singapore in Malaysia, and was transiting the Strait to Pengerang in Malaysia east of Singapore. Built in 2019 at Japan Marine United’s Maizuru Works, the vessel is owned by Grace Ocean and reported to have a service speed of 15 knots, although it is unclear what speed it was traveling at and if it was currently loaded.

The Civil Defense office reportsed it received a request for assistance approximately 20 minutes after the tanker was boarded. Two marine firefighting and rescue vessels were dispatched and met the tanker and escorted it into Singapore’s anchorage. One crewmember only identified as a 29-year-old Indian national was reported to be injured and removed for medical treatment.

The police report they boarded the vessel while it was in the anchorage. They swept the vessel to confirm no perpetrations remained aboard. The crew was accounted for and there were no other injuries reported.

Map highlighting the location of the three incidents on February 28 and the cluster of activity at the western side of the Singapore Strait (ReCAAP)

The incident involving the 182-meter (599-foot) tanker is the latest in the Singapore Strait, which is emerging as a hotspot for armed robberies primarily against bulk carriers and oil tankers. ReCAAP ISC, the monitoring operation for maritime security in the region, later issued an alert warning of the increased number of sea robbery incidents and expressing its renewed concerns. ReCAAP revealed that there had been two other boarding also in the Phillip Channel in the eastbound late of the Singapore Strait this morning between 0030 and 0700 local time.

ReCAAP details that the fist incident took place at 0300 aboard he Greek bulker Ifestos (95,790 dwt). The vessel registered in the Bahamas was underway traveling from Mozambique to China. Nearly an hour later, the general cargo ship DSM Rose (33,540 dwt) managed by a company in Lebanon was also boarded. It was traveling from India to Vietnam. ReCAAP reports engine spares were stolen from one of the ships and nothing was reported missing from the other two involved in today’s incidents.

Data by the ReCAAP shows that since the beginning of the year, there have now been a total of 21 incidents counting the three from today. The number of incidents has more than tripled versus last year when just six were reported in the first two months. Most of the crimes have been occurring in the area around the western entrance to the Strait and the Malacca Strait. 

A majority of the incidents are opportunistic crimes according to ReCAAP committed by perpetrators adopting a “hit-and-run” approach, with cases of crew injury or interaction being minimal. In January, however, a bulker was boarded also while it was underway in the Singapore Strait. There were six perpetrators and they tied up at least one crewmember. The perpetrators are mostly stealing ship stores, scrap metal, and engine spares, but ReCAAP has highlighted this year an increase in the times when the boarders are carrying guns or gun-like objects and knives.

ReCAAP has repeated raised concerns about the increase in the number of incidents and is now warning that there is a possibility of yet further incidents. For all of 2024, there were a total of 107 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. The data shows that 58 percent of the incidents were in or around the Singapore Strait.

Countries in the region are increasing patrols…