Two armed pirates were sighted in the engine room of a bulker vessel while transiting the Philip Channel in the Singapore Strait, a known piracy hotspot, according to Trade Winds.
New Incident
Ambrey Analytics reported that a bulk carrier was boarded by unidentified individuals in Indonesian waters on Saturday.
The incident occurred five nautical miles northwest of Kapalajernih Island while the vessel was transiting eastbound.
Although no weapons were initially reported, local authorities later revealed that two individuals armed with “gun-like” objects were sighted in the engine room.
No injuries or stolen items were reported from the incident. The ship continued its planned route to Singapore at a speed of 6.5 knots. This was the second boarding incident in the Philip Channel within 24 hours.
The Philip Channel is a 1.96-nautical mile stretch within the Strait of Malacca and is its narrowest point. Last week, Ambrey reported two additional boarding incidents in the same area.
No Injuries Reported
Despite the boarding incident, the bulker was able to continue its journey. No injuries were reported to the crew members, although it remains unclear what, if anything, was taken from the ship.
Ambrey noted that a similar incident occurred 73 hours prior, where a Marshall Islands-flagged bulker was boarded by a group of individuals with a similar description while transiting eastbound past Belakang Padang Island, Indonesia.
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Source: Trade Winds
