In a special report out this week the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Center (ReCAAP ISC) says it is “concerned” with the spate of incidents involving the abduction of crew from ships while underway in waters off eastern Sabah and southern Philippines which have occurred since March this year.
Generally, the modus operandi of the perpetrators involved in the six incidents in Philippine waters has been fairly similar. In all six incidents, the target was the crew, and not the ships nor its cargo.
Of the six incidents, five involved tug boats towing barges, and one involved a fishing trawler.
“Tug boats engaged in towing operations operate at a slow speed of between 2-3 knots, with low freeboard are vulnerable and easy target for boarding,” ReCAAP ISC noted in its report
Five of the six incidents occurred during daylight hours.
Ship masters and crew are strongly encouraged to exercise vigilance, and should there be any suspicious boats in the vicinity, they are to raise the alarm and report to the Philippine Coast Guard Operations Centre in southwestern Mindanao and the coastal state immediately, ReCAAP ISC urged.
Five of the six incidents reported the use of speed boats by the perpetrators. Of these, two incidents reported the use of green and red ‘jungkong’ pump boats (small wooden traditional fishing boats), and three incidents reported the use of grey and white speed boats.
Three of the six incidents involved perpetrators operating in groups of between five to eight men. There was one incident where 17 perpetrators were reported.
The perpetrators were reported to carry firearms and fired on vessels at least in two incidents.
Of the six incidents, three were Malaysia-registered ships and three were Indonesia-registered ships.
Of the 33 crew abducted, 24 were Indonesians and nine were Malaysians. It appeared the perpetrators were particular about the nationality of the crew to abduct, as evidenced from the incident involving the fishing trawler when the perpetrators inquired who among the crew had passports, and three replied that they had. The perpetrators abducted the three with their passports and fled in their speed boat, leaving the remaining four onboard the fishing trawler.
“The possibility of the ‘abduction for ransom’ group carried out the abduction and handed the abducted crew over to the [Abu Sayyaf group] for a fee, cannot be ruled out,” ReCAAP ISC suggested.
Of the 33 crew who had been abducted in the six incidents, 18 have been released, and ransom was believed to have been paid to secure the releases. The remaining 15 crew are still being held in captivity.
Concluding ReCAAP ISC stated: “With concerns over the escalation of the situation involving the abduction of crew from ships in waters off eastern Sabah and southern Philippines, the ReCAAP ISC reiterates the need to strengthen regional coordination and cooperation among the littoral states in conducting joint/coordinated patrols and surveillance; and apprehension of the mastermind.”
The Sulu and Celebes seas to the south of the Philippines have been hounded by Islamic militant group Abu Sayyaf all year, leading lead Splash Opinion writer Andrew Craig-Bennett to dub the area “the next Somalia”.
[Sam Chambers: Starting out with the Informa Group in 2000 in Hong Kong, Sam Chambers became editor of Maritime Asia magazine as well as East Asia Editor for the world’s oldest newspaper, Lloyd’s List. In 2005 he pursued a freelance career and wrote for a variety of titles including taking on the role of Asia Editor at Seatrade magazine and China correspondent for Supply Chain Asia. His work has also appeared in The Economist, The New York Times, The Sunday Times and The International Herald Tribune.]
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