Greek-flagged Astro Perseus attempted boarding

The Greek-flagged tanker Astro Perseus was at sea about 3.1 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Nongsa in East Indonesia’s Batam when a suspicious small vessel approached it from the stern.

The armed robbers tried to board the ship with the help of a hook, but fortunately without success. The master also performed successful maneuvers in order to prevent the boarding attempt.

On May 9, 2335 local time, the master informed the Singapore Ship Traffic Management System (VTIS) that a search had been carried out on the ship and no one had been found on board. The entire crew was safe without any reports of theft, and no assistance was sought.

The Singapore Coast Guard was immediately informed, which in turn briefed the Malaysian and Indonesian authorities.

At the ReCAAP ISC Weekly Report for May 4-10, 2021, it reported on an attempted armed robbery against ships in Asia involving a tanker sailing East off the coast of Batamai, Indonesia.

With this incident, a total of 13 incidents have occurred in the Straits of Singapore since January 2021. The ReCAAP ISC is concerned about the continuing occurrence of incidents in the area and advises all vessels to be on high alert and vigilant when crossing the area.

ARX recommends following best management practices and installing Anti-Piracy Barriers and Water Cannons to prevent boardings taking place. To find out more about the ARX ABaC System the the Evictor Water Cannon visit the product pages http://www.arxmouldings.com/arx-abac