It looks like that post-Christmas paint job Star Bulk Carriers had planned for one of its supramaxes will just have to wait.
The 56,400-dwt Tron Legacy (built 2012) reportedly had some 882 litres of paint stolen while anchored off a port in Vietnam.
The incident aboard the Marshal Islands-flagged bulker took place at Hon Net Anchorage area, Cam Pha in position 20° 53.8' N, 107° 16.6' E.
The incident took place on 16 December, but has only just been reported by the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP).
“ While at anchor, the duty AB on watch noticed six perpetrators speaking Vietnamese near the paint store and several others on the forecastle deck,” ReCAAP said.
“Initially, the crew thought that that they were the stevedores, but when he saw one of them carrying a bucket of paint from the paint store, he suspected they were thieves.”
The crew informed the duty officer who later informed the master who then made a public announcement, raised the alarm and mustered the crew.
Upon hearing the alarm, the perpetrators are said to have escaped via cargo barge moored alongside their green boat which was waiting for them as was the paint.
Vietnam has seen a number of incidents of piracy, or maritime robbery in recent months.
In one high profile incident in mid-October r obbers targeted a Scorpio Bulkers ultramax while it was anchored off Cam Pha Inner Anchorage.
The incident aboard the Marshal Islands-flagged 61,258-dwt SBI Echo (built 2015) saw ship stores and the crew’s personal belongings stolen.
Cam Pha, which is located in North Vietnam, is the country’s main coal export facility. It handled over 25mt of coal last year.
