UK-based maritime security firm Protection Vessels International (PVI) has provided its analysis of a recent piracy incident involving a total of 16 individuals robbing bunker tanker MT Lee Bo off the coast of Malaysia.
The robbers armed with knives boarded and attempted to steal cargo from the Mongolia-flagged bunker tanker anchored 34 nautical miles East of Mersing, Johor state; they robbed the crew and injured two members when they discovered the tanker was not loaded
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency forces apprehended all assailants armed with knives and machetes.
“Hijacking vessels to steal oil and marine fuel was common between 2014-2015, with many major attacks reported off Malaysia’s southeast coast,” says PVI.
“Attacks continue to be sporadically reported in the region although incidents have declined significantly since 2016.
“The incident on 31 May underscores the continued threat to vessels by criminal groups in the area, particularly when in the more vulnerable position of being anchored further out at sea.”
Related: Malaysia: Bunkering vessel robbed off Mersing
Photo credit: MarineTraffic / Sergei Skriabin
Published: 25 June, 2018
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