A Vietnamese-owned chemical tanker has been subjected to a suspected piracy attempt just off the coast of Singapore.
The incident took place late last week and involved the 15,400-dwt Great Sailor (built 1999), according to the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.
It occurred in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), eastbound lane of Singapore Straits about 2.8 nm north off Nongsa Point, Batam Island, Indonesia.
“While underway in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait, an unknown number of perpetrators in a small fast moving craft attempted to board the tanker,” ReCAAP said in its weekly report.
“The master took evasive action, raised alarm and shone the spot light at the small craft. Upon realising that they had been detected, the unknown craft aborted the boarding attempt.”
The Singapore Vessel Traffic Information Service (VTIS) is the said to have initiated a safety broadcast to passing vessels in the vicinity and notified the Singapore Police Coast Guard, the Singapore Navy and the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities.
ReCAAP said there was no damage to the Seagull Marine Petroleum Group-owned ship and there were no casualties among the ship’s crew.
