TWO SHIPS ROBBED WITHIN 48 HRS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA

By Zakaria Abdul Wahab

SINGAPORE, April 10 (Bernama) – Two vessels, a Singapore-registered chemical
tanker and a Marshall Island-registered bulk carrier, were robbed by armed men
within 48 hours while underway near Pulau Damar and Pulau Jemanja respectively,
in the South China Sea.

In the first incident on Wednesday, eight men armed with knives boarded the
chemical tanker, Theresa Libra, from a boat about 11 pm and held hostage the
engineer who was on the deck and entered the accommodation area.

In a statement Friday, the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating
Piracy
and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre here
said on reaching the bridge, they threatened the crew with knives and held
the master hostage.

The robbers, who were casually dressed, spoke English with a local accent
and were aggressive throughout the 20-minute episode.

They then raided the cabin of the master and officers and took away cash and
valuables before escaping in their boat.

In the second incident, seven men armed with guns and long knives boarded
the bulk carrier, Star Ypsilon, about 2am this morning and stole the ship’s
cash box and two mobile phones.

The crew raised an alarm and informed the relevant authorities about the
incident. The crew members of both vessels were not injured, the centre said.

-- BERNAMA