A veteran Shell LNG carrier has been targeted by robbers while anchored at the Bauan Anchorage, Batangas in the Philippines.
The 75,000-cbm Bebatik (built 1972), in service on the Brunei LNG project, was boarded by at least one intruder late in the evening early last week.
Details of the incident were disclosed in the latest anti-piracy report published by the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre.
“While at anchor, the duty roving watch spotted an unidentified perpetrator at the forecastle of the ship,” said ReCAAP.
“He reported the incident to the duty officer-on-watch (OOW) who sounded the ship’s alarm.
“Upon hearing the alarm, the perpetrator jumped into the water and fled away in a small boat with two other persons on board.”
ReCAAP said the ship’s master then mustered the crew and conducted inventory of the ship's equipment and reported the incident to port authorities.
No injuries were reported amongst the crew, but a number of items such as fire hydrant brass caps and fire hydrant nozzles were found to have been stolen.
