Three bulk vessels were looted earlier this week in the Singapore Strait, according to a Singapore-based regional maritime security center on Friday. Piracy has increased on one of the world’s major commercial waterways in recent years.
The “petty crime” episodes occurred between August 8 and 9, while the ships were in the Phillip Channel in the Singapore Strait, according to the Information Fusion Centre, a regional facility managed by the Singapore Navy.
According to the center, one of the ships was flagged to Cyprus, whereas the other two were flagged to Liberia. Fifty such incidents have been recorded spanning from India to Indonesia and South Korea since January 23, the center said, urging vessels in the vicinity to exercise caution.
“The majority of the incidents involved bulk carriers, and tugs and barges with low freeboard and slow speed while underway, and the incidents occurred in hours of darkness,” it said.
The center said all the robberies were likely carried out by the same group of perpetrators based on proximity, time intervals, and the number of people involved.
Source: Hellenic Shipping News
