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
17 Mar 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

MARSEC WEEKLY REPORT
7 - 13 Mar 15

Figure 1: Location of Incidents in IFC Area of Interest

For the period from 7 13 Mar 15, IFC received information as follows:
IUU Fishing

Piracy / Sea Robbery / Sea Theft

Irregular Human Migration

Weapons Trafficking

Maritime Incident

Contraband Trafficking

Natural Event

Maritime Terrorism

Note: 1 Contraband Trafficking Incidents, 5 IUU Fishing, 4 Maritime Incidents, 2 Irregular Human Migration
and 1 Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft Incident were reported were reported out of the reporting period.

OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS
Contraband Trafficking
10 Mar 15 - Task Force Battles Laos
10 Mar 15 Drug Smuggling/
Smugglers/Nakhon
Phanom's
Tha
Surabaya/Indonesia
Uthen District/Thailand
Details: Surabaya Police confiscated 2.1
kilograms of crystal methamphetamine and
Details: A combined task force of rangers
9,000 ecstasy pills on board a boat that
and local administration officials clashed
was anchored off Tanjung Perak Port,
with Laos smugglers on the banks of the
Surabaya. It is suspected that the drugs
Mekong River in Ban Tan Pak Nam in
was from Aceh and will be transported to
Tambon Chaiyaburi. The authorities found
Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan
200 kilograms of marijuana and arrested
one of the five smugglers.
Events reported outside of the period:
3 Mar 15 Drug Smuggling
/Tawau/Malaysia
Details: The local authorities detained
two persons off the Tawau River carrying
1,042 grams of drugs.

Irregular Human Migration

identification document and the skipper
did not have any valid work permit.
Events reported outside of the period:
2 Mar - 8 Foreign Fisherman/Kuala
Terengganu/Malaysia
Details:
The
Malaysian
Maritime
Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained 8
foreign fishermen while fishing in
Malaysia waters. They did not have any

5 Mar 4 Illegal Immigrants Arrested/

Kuala
Batang
Barang,
Sarawak/Malaysia
Details: Malaysian Marine Police arrested 4
illegal immigrants on board a boat off the
waters of Kuala Batang Baram, Sarawak.

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing

Events reported outside of the period:
3 Mar Vietnamese Fishing Boat Found
Harvesting Sea Cucumber/37 nm
Northeast Of Tok Bali/Malaysia

4 March - 45 Fishermen Arrested In /

Naburot Dan Manlabang Island
/Philippines

Details: MMEA detained the skipper and 4

other crew for illegal fishing and seized 5
kilograms of sea cucumbers 37 nm
Northeast of Tok Bali.

Details: Local authorities arrested 45

fishermen and 9 motorboats for illegal
fishing off Coast of Naburot Dan
Manlabang Island, Philippines.

6 Mar Police Arrest Fishermen for

Dynamite Fishing/Barangay Bolong/
Philippines
Details: Local authorities arrested 3
fishermen for fishing illegal using
dynamite off the waters of Barangay
Bolong.
5 Mar 2 Vietnamese Boats Detained/
3.1 nm West of Pulau Aur Island/
Malaysia
Details: MMEA detained 2 boats and 27
crews and seized 2,000 kilograms of fish.

The boats together with the crew were

brought to Tanjung Sedili for further
investigation.
5 Mar 6 Fishermen Arrested/Sulug
Islands, Sabah/Malaysia
Details: MMEA detained 2 unregistered
boats with 6 fishermen and seized 600
kilograms of fishes off the waters of Sulug
Islands, Sabah. The fishermen were
handed over to the Immigration
Department.

Maritime Incident
8 Mar - Fire Aboard Cargo Ship/Vung
Tau/Vietnam

crew was brought to Labuan hospital and

was reported to be in stable condition.

Details: Vietnam Maritime Search and

Rescue Coordination Center (VMRCC)
was informed of a fire on board a cargo
ship off the waters of Vung Tau. Boats
were dispatched to rescue the 20 crew
member. The fire was put out and the ship
anchored off Nha Trang for repair.

4 Mar Ship Abandoned

Collision/Yellow Sea

10 Mar Several Injured After Ferry

Collided
Onto
The
Pier/Cebu/Philippines
Details: 21 passengers were reported
injured after a ferry collided onto a pier.
Authority believed that the incident was
due to a defective rudder steering system.
The vessel suffered dents on her bow and
remained at pier for inspection and repairs.

After

Details: A cargo vessel was seriously

damaged after collided with a sand carrier
in the Yellow Sea. The crew abandoned
the vessel as the vessel was sinking and
they were rescued by the local authorities
on 5 Mar 15.
4 Mar Fire Destroyed
Boat/Quang Nam/Vietnam

Fishing

Details: A fire broke out and destroyed the

fishing boats off the waters of Quang Nam
Province's Nui Thanh District.
6
Mar

Anchorage/Malaysia

Collision/Johor

Events reported outside of the period:

4
Mar

Medical
/Lubuan/Malaysia

Evacuation

Details: MMEA provided medical

evacuation to a crew of a tanker who was
en-route to South Korea. The crew
suffered from appendicitis while the vessel
was 200 nautical miles off Labuan. The

Details: IFC received information from

POCC that a collision occurred between an
anchored Vietnam Flagged General cargo
ship and a Malaysia Flagged Tugboat at
position Lat 01 18.95N Long 104 13.46E
(2nm SE of Tg Ayam) on 061643H Mar
15. No pollution or injury was reported.

Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft

communication with company since 10
Mar 15. However the company managed
7 Mar Attempted Sea Theft/18 nm
to track the vessel at 111350H Mar 15 and
NNW Laparan Island, Sulu Sea/
the position was shared with MMEA.
Philippines
Details: IFC received information that an
attempted sea theft had occurred on board
a Malta-Flagged Bulk Carrier ship at
position 06 13.11N 119 50.18E (Sulu
Sea), Philippines on 070930LT Mar 15. A
suspected mother vessel disguised as
fishing vessel deployed six high speed
skiffs and chased the bulk carrier while
underway. The persons on board the skiffs
were in camouflage clothing attempted to
board the ship. Master raised alarm,
activated the water spray system, increased
speed, took evasive manoeuvers, broadcast
security messages continuously via VHF
channel 16 and contacted the Philippines
Navy for assistance. Upon hearing the
Philippines navys reply on the VHF
channel, the skiffs aborted the attempted
attack.
Comments: Ships are advised to continue
to maintain vigilance and adapt selfprotection measures while sailing in this
area.
11 Mar Oil Siphoning/Marine Gas Oil/
Malaysia
Details: At 111300H Mar 15, IFC received
information from MMEA that a MalaysiaFlagged Product Tanker has lost

At 111600H Mar 15 a MMEA vessel

managed to localize the tanker 10nm
Southeast of Batu Pahat. The vessel was
escorted to Batu Pahat for further
investigation. From the preliminary
investigation, it was confirmed that the
vessel was hijacked by perpetrators and
her cargo (marine fuel oil) was siphoned
off. The communication equipment was
damaged and one of its crew suffered
minor injury.
Comments: The Malaysian Maritime
Enforcement Agency (MMEA) is currently
conducting investigation on the incident.
Events reported outside of the period:
4 Mar Marine Police Crippled Theft
Syndicate/ Johor Straits Off Benut/
Malaysia
Details: The Region Two Marine Police
Force crippled a theft syndicate operating
at sea while arresting four Indonesians
along the Straits of Johor near Benut.
Police seized 3 fibre-type boats and seized
four outboard engines, parang (machetes)
and big cutters for investigation. All
suspects did not have any travel
documents.

Natural Events
Nothing significant to Report
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.

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

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
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.

5
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY