A jack-up drilling rig cold stacked off Singapore has been targeted by armed robbers, TradeWinds has learnt.
Two assailants, said to be armed with swords, are said to have boarded the unnamed rig and tied up two security guards.
They stole communications equipment and personal belongs before fleeing, according to the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) piracy reporting centre.
The rig had been close to the Malaysian shore, at the eastern end of the Singapore Strait, some 1.5 nautical miles (nm) southeast of Tanjung Bulat.
Shore-based staff are said to have arrived on the rig and released the security guards when it was noticed they had failed to make a routine radio call.
The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) says attacks on vessels in the Singapore Strait have been increasing, says UK-based security consultancy Gray page.
“In the first six months of 2018 it recorded four incidents in which robbers had boarded or attempted to board ships, up from just two cases in the same period the year before.”
In its half-yearly report ReCAAP said the Singapore Strait was an “area of concern”.
Gray Page said robbers have usually targeted cash, crew members’ property and engine spares and when they have been armed it has generally been with machetes and knives.
“Ships entering the Singapore Strait and its Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) should maintain a high level of vigilance,” said Gray Page.
“If suspicious boats attempt to come alongside an alarm should be raised and, if possible, evasion action taken. Shore-side maritime authorities should also be alerted.”
