IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

103 Tanah Merah Coast Road, #02-01
Singapore 498750
Tel: +65 9626 8965 (Mobile)
+65 6594 5728 (Office)
Fax:
+65 6594 5734
IFC_DO@defence.gov.sg
www.infofusioncentre.gov.sg
11 May 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

MARSEC WEEKLY REPORT
02 - 08 May 15

Figure 1: Location of Incidents in IFC Area of Interest

For the period from 02 18 May 15, IFC received information as follows:
Piracy / Sea Robbery / Sea Theft

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated

Fishing (IUU) Fishing

Irregular Human Migration

Weapons Trafficking

Maritime Incident

Contraband Trafficking

Natural Event

Maritime Terrorism

Note: 3x IUU Fishing Incident, 2x Contraband Trafficking Incident, 5x Maritime Incidents, 1x Irregular Human
Migration, and 4x Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft Incident were reported out of the reporting period.

1
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
03 May Indonesian Navy Detains Five
Thai Fishing Vessels/ Karimata Strait/
Indonesia
Details: The Indonesian Navy detained
five Thai fishing vessels in Indonesian
waters for fishing without permits.
03 May Coast Guard Confiscates
Illegal Catch/ Northern Quezon/
Philippines
Details: The Philippines Coast Guard
confiscated 435kg of fish caught by blast
fishing from two separate vessels.
05 May Three Arrested for Illegal
Fishing/ Tawi Tawi/ Philippines
Details: Three people, including one
minor, were arrested by the Philippines
Coast Guard at Tawi Tawi for dynamite
fishing.
05 May Indonesia Detains Philippines
Illegal Fishers/ North Sulawesi/
Indonesia

Events reported outside of the period:

29 Apr - Fishermen Arrested/ Mannar/
Sri Lanka
Details: Sri Lankan authorities arrested
five fishermen and seized their fishing
boats for illegal fishing off the waters of
Thalaimannar.
30 Apr - Fishermen Arrested/ Mannar/
Sri Lanka
Details: Sri Lankan authorities arrested
three fishermen and seized their fishing
boats on suspicion of explosive fishing
south of Mannar. The boat was carrying
eight sticks of gelignite.
30 Apr - Illegal Fishing/ Sarngani Bay/
Philippines
Details: At least 19 fishermen arrested by
the Philippines Coast Guard for using the
illegal likom method of trapping fish.

Details: Indonesian authorities detained

the crew of a Philippines registered fishing
vessel in Aertembaga for illegal fishing.
Maritime Incidents
03 May Ship Hits Atoll in Batam/
Batam/ Indonesia

04 May No Oil Spill From Grounded

Vessel/ Iloilo/ Philippines

Details: A cargo ship with 10 crew almost

sank after hitting a coral atoll off Batam.

Details: There are no traces of oil in the

water from a cargo vessel which remains
grounded after encountering strong winds
and current near Muelle lonely Pier.

04 May 48 Rescued Off Vietnam/ Ha

Long Bay/ Vietnam
Details: 48 tourists, including 12 children
were rescued after their boat sank after
colliding with a boat carrying construction
rocks.

2
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

04 May MMEA Rescues Seven/
Bintulu Port/ Malaysia
Details: MMEA rescued seven crew
members drifting 95nm from Bintulu Port.
A distress call was sent out after the vessel
developed engine trouble.
05 May Sick Mariner Rescued/ Pulau
Tioman/ Malaysia
Details: MMEA transferred a sick
merchant vessel crew member to hospital
ashore after he developed health
complications 116nm Northeast of Palau
Tioman.

Events reported outside of the period:

26 Apr Investigation into River
Collision/ Yangon River/ Myanmar
Details: A sand carrier broke in two and
sank in the Yangon River after colliding
with a container vessel.
26 Apr Coast Guard Saves
Passengers/ Batangas City/ Philippines
Details: The Philippines Coast Guard
saved five passengers from their motorboat
after it developed engine trouble.

06 May Five Die in Tugboat Fire/

Banawa/ Indonesia

28 Apr Ferry catches Fire/ East

Flores/ Indonesia

Details: A tugboat has caught fire while

moored to a jetty near Central Sulawesi.
Five people reportedly died, and three
were severely burned.

Details: A ferry carrying 36 passengers

caught fire off the Tanjung Gemuk coast.
All passengers jumped into the sea, and no
casualties were reported.

06 May Vessel Spilling Fertilizer/

Sundarbans/ Bangladesh
Details: A vessel has spilled 300 tonnes of
chemical fertilizer into waters around the
UNESCO heritage listed Sundarbans
mangrove forest. Authorities have ruled
out the spill being harmful.
07 May Cargo
Guangzhou/ China

Vessel

Sinks/

29 Apr Vessel Sinks/ Chittagong/

Bangladesh
Details: A lighter carrying coal capsized in
the Bay of Bengal near Sandwip Channel
due to rough seas.
01 May Police Shoot Two Fishermen/
Madridejos/ Philippines

Details: Police shot two fishermen in two

Details: A cargo vessel sank after
separate incidents. In one case, the
colliding with another ship in waters off
fisherman was using dynamite against the
Guangzhou. Seven people were rescued
police.
from the sea, and 57 containers fell
overboard.
Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft
02 May Sea Robbery (Siphoning)/
Malacca Strait
Details: Eights perpetrators armed with
guns and a wire cutter took control of the
tanker, and secured the crew. The vessel

was anchored, and a barge came alongside

and siphoned 2023MT of gasoil from the
vessel. The perpetrators disabled comms
gear and departed with crew personal
possessions. No injuries were reported.

3
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

02 May Attempted Sea Theft/ North of
Tg Berakit
Details: Five sampans approached the
barge under tow to steal scrap metal. A
Police Coast Guard vessel responded, and
the sampans departed the area in the
direction of Bintan.
04 May Attempted
Southeast of Palau Nipa

Sea

Theft/

Events reported outside of the period:

24 Apr Attempted Sea Theft/ Dumai
Anchorage/ Indonesia
Details: A small boat with five
perpetrators was loitering around the
anchored product tanker. They boarded
from the poop deck, but after the alarm
was raised, they jumped overboard.
Nothing was stolen.

Details: At 0412H, the crew sighted four

perpetrators on board. The alarm was
raised and the perpetrators fled. There
were no injuries and no items stolen.

25 Apr Sea Theft/

Anchorage/ Bangladesh

06 May Attempted
Southwest of Pulau Nipa

Details: One robber from a speedboat

boarded the anchored container vessel and
stole ships stores. The alarm was raised
and the boat fled.

Sea

Theft/

Details: An unlit sampan was seen trailing

the bulk carrier at 1nm. The boat
approached the starboard quarter and two
perpetrators boarded using a hook and
rope. Upon hearing the alarm, the
perpetrators jumped overboard and
escaped.

Chittagong

25 Apr Sea Theft/ Chittagong Outer

Port Limit/ Bangladesh
Details: Six perpetrators boarded the
anchored bulk carrier. Upon hearing the
alarm, they fled with ships property.

08 May Attempted Sea Theft/ South of

Pulau Nipa

27 Apr Attempted Sea Robbery/

Singapore Strait

Details: Seven perpetrators were spotted

trying to enter the aft steering
compartment. Alarm was raised and
perpetrators escaped. Nothing was
reported stolen and crew was unharmed.

Details: Six perpetrators in an unlit boat

approached the underway container ship.
Ship raised the alarm, and the boat moved
away.

Natural Event
04 May Tropical Storm Developing/
Philippines
Details: A tropical depression east of the
Philippines has developed into a tropical
storm (Noul), and is expected to make
landfall in the Bicol region on Saturday or
Sunday.

05 May Tsunami Threat After

Earthquake/ off Kokopo/ Papua New
Guinea
Details: A 7.4 magnitude earthquake
struck off PNG. Seismologists issued a
tsunami warning, however no dangerous
waves eventuated.

4
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

Irregular Human Migration
07 May Human Smuggler Caught/
Phang Nga/ Thailand
Details: A Thai national was arrested
attempting to smuggle 10 illegal Myanmar
labourers into Chumphon Province. He
had picked them up at the fishing port.

Events reported outside of the period:

27 Apr - Illegal Immigrants Arrested/
Sattahip/ Thailand
Details: The Thai Navy has detained two
Thai registered fishing boats which were
operating with illegal immigrant workers
onboard.

Contraband Trafficking
03 May Seafood Smuggling/ Tawau/
Malayasia

07 May Speedboat Smuggling Ring

Caught/ Hong Kong/ China

Details: An MMEA patrol boat

apprehended a boat carrying 15 tonnes of
undocumented seafood towards the
Philippines.

Details: Hong Kong authorities caught a

suspected speedboat smuggling ring with a
value of $10 million. Items included
electrical goods and endangered animals.

05 May Cockatoos Smuggled in Plastic

Bottles/ Tg Perak/ Indonesia

07 May Troops Seize Rice/ Sulu/

Philippines

Details: Indonesian Police discovered over

24 endangered yellow-crested cockatoos
stuffed into water bottles to be smuggled
overseas.

Details: Troops intercepted an illegal

shipment of 2090 sacks of rice off Sulu.

06 May Crab Smuggling/ Tawau/

Malaysia

30 Apr MMEA Seizes Contraband

Cigarettes/ Tanjong Dalit/ Malaysia

Details: Malaysian authorities arrested two

foreign men coming from the direction of
Labuan attempting to smuggle 53 crates of
live crabs without documentation.

Details: MMEA have detained a boat and

seized contraband cigarettes worth
RM50,000. The cigarettes were believed to
have been smuggled out of a neighbouring
country.

07 May Contraband
Balaesang/ Indonesia

Events reported outside of the period:

Timber/

Details: Indonesian authorities have foiled

an attempt to smuggle 250 cubic metres of
ebony to Malaysia, which was being
loaded onto a boat.

30 Apr Attempt to Smuggle Crystal

Meth/ Sumatra/ Indonesia
Details: Police have arrested a man who
attempted to smuggle 18kg of crystal meth
in the dash of his vehicle through
Bakauheni seaport.

5
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

Recommendations
IFC Advises:
1. All mariners to report any incidents timely to the nearest coastal state and IFC at the
earliest possible time.
2. Ships moving at slow speed or choosing to remain at anchor in areas where sea
robbery/theft is regularly reported to be vigilant and to adopt necessary security measures.
3. All mariners to take note on the description of the perpetrators and to take photos of the
perpetrators if possible.
4. Shippers and Seafarers operating in Sulu Sea and in vicinity of East Sabah Waters are
strongly recommended to be vigilant and to establish contact with both Malaysian and
Philippines Authorities to report their presence.
5. Shippers are advised to take note that al-Qaeda, in its recently launched English language
online magazine Resurgence, has called for the disruption of global trade and shipping
through acts of piracy, among other tactics. Shippers are therefore advised to exercise
vigilance and to adopt self-defensive measures as stated in BMP4, especially when
transiting narrow choke points and known sea robbery/piracy hot spots.

Note: Information herein was derived from various internal and external sources
such as Focal Points, OPCENs and other maritime stakeholders. Shippers should
remain vigilant especially in areas where the threat level is assessed to be above one
in accordance with the IFC Spot Commentary 2/14 and IFC quarterly assessment
report. Ships should apply the appropriate security measures (such as BMP4 or
Tugs and Barge Guide). Ship masters should also be aware and refer to the
Maritime Security Charts Q6112 and Q6113, both published by the UK
Hydrographic Office.

CONTACT
In case of any doubt, incident at sea, suspicious approach or unusual observed activity at sea,
please contact IFC: IFC Duty Officer:
Email :
IFC_DO@defence.gov.sg or ifc_do@infofusioncentre.gov.sg
Tel :
+65 9626 8965 (Mobile)
+65 6594 5728 (Office)
Fax :
+65 6594 5734
The IFC seeks your observations in the course of your normal business. The IFC would like
to remind mariners to be mindful of national and international laws, company and other
policy requirements and also health and safety obligations, whilst recording these
observations. The reporting of such events to IFC does not absolve you of your obligations
towards coastal/ port/ flag authorities.

6
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY