Protection Vessels International (PVI) is a global leader in armed maritime security, protecting and defending large shipping vessels in areas such as the Gulf of Aden, the East Coast of Africa and the Indian Ocean. It aims to ensure the safe passage of its clients across these seas where piracy still exists and maritime terrorism is posing a new threat.
PVI’s parent company, PGI, is a leader in cyber security solutions as well as providing geopolitical risk consultancy, corporate intelligence services and an array of security training.
Please find below PVI’s Weekly Maritime Security Report 14 September 2016:
Indonesia: Armed robbers steal from tanker at Dumai Inner Anchorage 9 September
Four assailants armed with knives stole ship’s spares from a tanker’s engine room at 0345 hrs local time, while it was anchored at Dumai Inner Anchorage, Sumatra. Crew on duty rounds raised the alarm upon sighting the robbers, causing the criminals to escape via the steering gear room with the ship’s spares.
Indonesia: Armed assailants board bulk carrier in Dumai 6 September
Four armed robbers boarded a bulk carrier anchored in the Dumai Inner Anchorage in Indonesia, entering the engine room through the funnel door at 2335 hrs local time. The thieves held the oiler manager hostage at knife point, tied him up, and fled after stealing engine spares. The manager raised the alarm after freeing himself. None of the crew members were injured.
- PVI Analysis: Armed robberies at Dumai Anchorage have resumed in the third quarter of 2016 after a lull in reported attacks in the first half of this year. Some of the attacks have been violent in nature, with assailants threatening crew members with knives. Attacks tend to take place at night when robbers are less likely to be seen.
Malaysia: Assailants kidnap three fishermen off Sabah 9 September
Seven suspected Filipino gunmen kidnapped a skipper and two crewmembers from a fishing trawler anchored off the Malaysian tourist resort island of Pom Pom in Semporna, off the coast of Sabah. The incident took place at 2240 hrs local time when seven gunmen, speaking a Filipino dialect called Bajau used by residents of the Sulu Sea area, boarded the Semporna-registered Puteri vessel while it was anchored off Pulau Gaya. The assailants robbed the 16 crew of their phones and valuables and assaulted one crewmember before kidnapping the three crewmembers.
- PVI Analysis: Details of the attack indicate it was perpetrated by Philippines Islamist group Abu Sayyaf (ASG), as it took place in the same region as similar kidnappings committed by ASG and the dialect spoken by the gunmen was the same as that of the militants. The latest incident comes amid a wave of kidnappings-for-ransom by ASG, which is based in the Sulu islands of Jolo and Basilan, and which has prompted joint regional patrols and restrictions on the routes which tugs can take through the Sulu and Celebes seas. West Africa
Nigeria: Pirates hijack boat, kill four policemen in Rivers state 6 September
Armed pirates hijacked a gunboat belonging to the marine police and shot dead four personnel off Abonnema community in the Akuku-Toru local government area of Nigeria’s Rivers State. The pirates escaped with the boat and it remains unclear whether they were affiliated to a known militant group.
- PVI Analysis: The attack comes amid ongoing security operations in the state, and the Niger Delta more widely, as part of operation Crocodile Smile that targets armed criminal gangs and kidnapping rings. The operation has increased the risk of reprisal attacks, which are frequently fatal, by armed groups in the region.
Source: PVI