Pirates strike cargo ship off Singapore
Pirates have strike a Mongolia-registered general cargo ship in the early hours of Thursday off Singapore waters. Five pirates armed with long knives boarded the 14,241 dwt Shipinco I approximately 1.9 nm west of Batu Berhanti buoy. The pirates robbed the master, third officer and chief cook, and escaped with cash and the crew's personal belongings including watches, mobile phones and clothing, according to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre. The crew was not injured and the master has reported the incident to the Singapore's Port Operations Control Centre (POCC), which is also the ReCAAP Focal Point (Singapore). The Singapore POCC has broadcast an alert to all vessels about the incident and urged them to enhance vigilance when operating in the vicinity. On Monday, another 50,094 dwt product tanker Dong Jiang was attacked by six pirates off Singapore about 30 nautical miles east of Horsburgh lighthouse.
