Tanker targeted by armed robbers in the Singapore Strait

A Panama-flagged tanker was boarded by seven individuals while transiting eastbound in the Philip Channel yesterday, approximately six nautical miles east of Kasu, Indonesia, the latest in a string of similar incidents in the same area. 

According to Ambrey, a British maritime security specialist, the suspects were reportedly armed with “gun-like” objects. During the incident, the vessel was underway at 10.6 knots, with an estimated freeboard of 7.6 m. The vessel was able to continue its journey. 

Ambrey’s advice to ships passing through the Singapore Strait call for crews to lock down access to the accommodation block and ship’s stores, and to carry out partnered deck patrols.