Pirates strike near Singapore again

Marcus Hand, Singapore - Tuesday 18 August 2009
PIRATES have again attempted to attack a vessel in an area popular with owners to idle their ships close to Singapore.

Three pirates attempted to board the Singapore-flagged tanker Kirana Tritya in the early hours of August 15, when it was anchored 2.8m off Tanjung Ramunia, south Johor, Malaysia.

The Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships said three pirates tried to board the vessel at 03-45 hrs but were spotted by the duty officer who raised the alarm. The pirates fled once they realised the alarm had been raised.

According to the International Maritime Bureau’s piracy reporting centre the vessel was anchored in Singapore’s eastern outside port limits anchorage at the time of the attack.

ReCAAP said it was the fourth incident on a vessel at anchor in the area since February this year.

The eastern OPL anchorage has been one of the favoured locations over the last nine months for owners to idle their vessels given the downturn in the shipping market.

While the pirates failed in their attempted attack Noel Choong head of the piracy reporting centre said all attacks have to be taken seriously as they can always turn into dangerous situations.

ReCAAP said ship masters and crew should take extra vigilance especially in the hours of darkness.