E-MAIL THIS LINK
To: 

Pirates strike twice near S’pore waters
PIRATES struck twice near Singapore waters last Thursday, boarding vessels on the move and even surprising the shipmasters in their cabins. In the light of the attacks, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) issued a statement yesterday warning all shippers to be vigilant. No injuries were reported in the two incidents, which took place in the Singapore Straits, near Karimun Island in Indonesia. The two spots are 24km or so outside Singapore waters.

The pirates first struck the Cape Haralambos, a bulk carrier registered in the Marshall Islands which was heading for Singapore from India to load up on fuel, just after midnight. Three pirates armed with knives boarded the 69,000-ton vessel, tied up the shipmaster and scooted off with the ship’s cash and the crew’s valuables, worth more than $3,000 in all. Less than three hours later, just 6km away, another group struck the 8,900-ton Turkish-registered container ship Border. This time, five pirates wielding long knives boarded the ship and forced the shipmaster to surrender the key to its safe. But he managed to slip away and alert his crew. The pirates fled with only his watch. The Border was heading for Singapore from Port Klang, Malaysia.

The area has been relatively quiet till now, with no attacks reported there for more than a year. There had been one incident in 2002, and three each in 2001 and 2000. About 400 ships pass through this busy area daily. Some ships are known to replenish fuel, water and other supplies from other vessels out at sea. The MPA said shippers should use designated areas within the port for such activities. It ’strongly urges’ shipmasters, their crew, and the local and international shipping community to step up surveillance. This means, for example, ensuring vessels have anti-piracy measures such as closed-circuit cameras to monitor movements on the ship, and pirate-intrusion alarms.
Could be the same group did both attacks. Otherwise coordinated attacks are a AQ trademark, and this could have been a dry run. Sending a large cargo vessel at top speed against any naval vessel would guarantee to sink it and US naval vessels go through this Strait all the time.
Posted by: phil_b 2004-02-03
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=25528