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INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

AFPN 6504
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
8 Jun 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

MARSEC WEEKLY REPORT
30 May 5 Jun 15
Figure 1: Location of Incidents in IFC Area of Interest

For the period from 30 May 5 Jun 15, IFC received information as follows:
IUU Fishing

Piracy / Sea Robbery / Sea Theft

Irregular Human Migration

Weapons Trafficking

Maritime Incidents

Contraband Trafficking

Natural Event

Maritime Terrorism

Note: 2 Contraband trafficking, 2 IUU fishing, 1 Irregular Human Migration, 4 Piracy/Sea

Robbery/Sea Theft and 1 Maritime Incident were reported out of the reporting period.

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OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS
Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing
31 May Suspicious Illegal Fishing/ 43
Foreign Fishermen Arrested/ Kalmunai
waters/ Sri Lanka

2 Jun Two Malaysian Fishing Vessel

Seized and Four Crew Arrested /
Bengkalis waters / Indonesia

Details: 43 foreign fishermen, from four

fishing trawlers and one Fiber Glass
Dinghy, were detained by Sri Lanka
authority on suspicion of illegal fishing
activities in the general area of Kalmunai.

Details: Malaysia Authority seized two

Malaysian fishing boats, which were
fishing illegally in the territorial waters.

31 May Illegal Fishing Activities/ 14

Foreign Fishermen Arrested/ Palk
Strait / Sri Lanka

25 May 23 Tugboats and Fishing

Vessel Seized Along With 53 Fishermen
/ Kota Tinggi/ Malaysia

Details: Sri Lankan navy apprehended 14

foreign fishermen and three of their boats,
on charges of violating the territorial
waters.

Details: Fisheries Department detained 23

tugboats and fishing boats along with 53
fishermen in a five-day operation in the
southern zone near Kota Tinggi.

31 May Vietnamese Fishing Vessel

Seized/ Tanjung Sedili waters / Malaysia

28 May Five Sri Lankan Fishermen

Arrested / Nagapattinam waters / India

Details:
The
Malaysian
Maritime
Enforcement Agency seized a Vietnamese
vessel for illegal fishing activities, 20.3nm
east of Tanjung Sedili, near Kota Tinggi.

Details: Indian Coast Guard detained five

Sri Lankan fishermen and confiscated a
boat on charges of poaching in Indian
waters 36nm off the Nagapattinam coast.

Events reported outside of the period:

Irregular Human Migration

31 May - 65 Illegal Immigrants/
Rescued by Indonesian Police/ East
Nusa Tenggara/ Indonesia
Details: Rote Ndao Police in East Nusa
Tenggara (NTT) rescued 65 illegal
immigrants, from two wooden ships,
stranded on waters around Landu Ti
Island.
2 Jun Three Boats Seized And Eight
People Arrested/ Kapar waters/
Malaysia

separate operations in Kapar marine

waters.
Events reported outside of the period:
29 May - 727 Illegal immigrants / 30nm
Off Myanmars Southern Coast/
Andaman Sea
Details: A boat with 727 illegal migrant,
comprising 608 men, 74 women and 45
children, was intercepted by Myanmar's
navy
off
the
southern
coast.

Details: Police Force Marine (PFM)

Region 1 arrested three boats and eight
foreign crewmen without valid permit in

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Maritime Incidents
30 May Collision/ Cargo Vessel and
Self Propelled Barge/ Tianjin / China
Details: Cargo vessel collided with a selfpropelled barge near Tianjin in Bohai. The
barge partially sank, with only a part of the
bow remaining above the water. One of the
barges crew members was killed, another
went missing.

2 Jun Fishing Vessel Sank /

Chumphon Waters / Thailand
Details: 36 crew were rescued, from a
sunken fishing vessel, 3nm off Chumphon
coast.
Events reported outside of the period:

31 May Passenger Boat Sank/ 82

People Rescued/ Koh Lan/ Thailand

27 May Bulk Carrier Drifted /

Philippine Sea

Details: A passenger boat sank shortly

after it left Koh Lan heading back to the
Pattaya shore. All its 82 passengers were
rescued.

Details: Bulk carrier Baltic K, while enroute from Newcastle Australia to Kanda
Japan, was not under command at 0800
UTC in vicinity 26 10N 135 05E,
Philippines Sea.

31 May Charter Boat Capsized/

Pattaya/ Thailand
Details: Tourist charter boat, with 72
tourists, capsized off Pattaya, Thailand.
All crew and passengers were rescued.
1 Jun Ferry Capsized/ 458 People /
Yangtze River / China

28 May One Abducted / Sitio Lupag

/Zamboanga Del Norte/ Philippines
Details: A man was abducted by four to
six armed men, who escaped in two
motorised pumpboats. Police suspected the
abduction is linked to Moro Islamic
Liberation Front based in Sirawai
municipal.

Details: A passenger ship carrying 458

people, capsized in China's Yangtze River
during a storm and only 12 people had
been rescued so far. The vessel was
heading to southwest China's Chongqing
city from Nanjing, capital of east China's
Jiangsu Province. It sank at around 9:28
p.m. local time in the Jianli section of the
river.

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Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft

02E on 200001H May 15. Three
4 Jun Sea Robbery / Tanker/ South
perpetrators from an unlit boat boarded the
Pulau Aur Waters / Malaysia Flagged
anchored tanker using a hook attached to a
rope. Perpetrators broke into the bosun
Details: IFC received information from
store and stole ships properties. Duty
Officer on the bridge spotted them and
CSO about a sea robbery on board a
raised the alarm. Thieves jumped
Malaysia flagged tanker at the region south
overboard and fled in their boat with stolen
of Pulau Aur on 040015H Jun 15. The
items.
tanker was boarded by perpetrators and all
crew tied up. Some oil and crews
22 May - Sea Theft/ Container Ship/
properties
were
stolen,
ships
South of Vung Tau/ Vietnam/ Marshall
communication
equipment
damaged.
Islands Flagged
Perpetrators left the vessel at 0750H. Crew
was safe.
Details: IFC received information from
IMO about sea theft on board a Marshall
Events reported outside of the period:
Islands flagged container ship at 10 11N,
107 03E on 220630H May 15. Crew
20 May - Attempted Sea Theft/ Tanker/
noticed that the forward paint locker had
Dumai Inner Anchorage / Indonesia/
been broken into and upon further checks
Singapore Flagged
some ships stores were reportedly stolen.
Details: IFC received information from
23 May - Attempted Sea Theft/
IMO about an attempted sea theft on the
Batangas Anchorage/ Philippines/ Hong
Singapore flagged tanker at 01 43N, 101
Kong Flagged
29E on 200630H May 15. Unknown
number of perpetrators boarded the tanker
Details: IFC received information from
unnoticed, broke the padlock of the aft E/R
IMO about an attempted sea theft on board
casing door, but nothing was reported
a China HK flagged Oil Tanker at 13
stolen.
39N, 120 59E on 230031H May 15. Duty
Officer saw unidentified personnel
20 May - Sea Theft/ Tanker/ Batangas
climbing on board and immediately the
Anchorage / Philippines/ Marshall
ships emergency alarm was sounded.
Islands Flagged
Perpetrators jumped overboard and made
away on small boat towards unknown
Details: IFC received information from
destination.
IMO about sea theft on board a Marshall
Islands flagged tanker at 13 44N, 121
Contraband Trafficking
30 May Six Men Arrested For Ebony
Wood Smuggling/ Sipadan Island/
Malaysia
Details: Marine Police Force nabbed six
men and seized ebony wood worth RM12,
000, smuggled from the Philippines into
Sabah, where they fetch high prices. The

case will be investigated under the

Customs Act 1967.
31 May 180 tons Of Smuggled Onions
Seized/ North Sumatra / Indonesia
Details: A ship, with tens of thousands
sacks of onions, was captured in a joint

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patrol in the groove Kuala Bagan Asahan.
3
Jun

Two
Kg
Methamphetamine Seized/
Priok Port/ Indonesia

Crystal
Tanjung

Details: National Narcotics Agency

(BNN) along with customs officials
intercepted a shipment of two kilograms of
crystal methamphetamine worth Rp 2.8
billion ($215,000) at Tanjung Priok Port in
North Jakarta. It was not immediately clear
when exactly the shipment had been
discovered.
Events reported outside of the period:
15 May 43 kg Cocaine Seized/ Hanoi
and Cat Lai Port / Vietnam
Details: Customs and police forces busted
31.6 kilograms of cocaine in a container at

the Cat Lai Port. The drug was hidden

inside 10 pallets that support the declared
consignment of floor wooding imported
from
South
America.
Subsequent
investigation led to the seizure of more
than 10 kg of cocaine in a consignment of
a company in Hanoi, carefully hidden in
welded iron tubes. Total weight of cocaine
busted in two cases is 43 kg, with market
price estimated to be more than VND100
billion (US$4.58 million).
28 May Firecrackers Smuggling/
Pulau Besar / Malaysia
Details: Marine police detected a
syndicate that smuggling contraband
firecrackers into the country using Pulau
Besar as a transit point. The contraband
firecrackers were wrapped in 110 boxes
found at a river bank.

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

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IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

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.

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