The crew of a Tug towing a Barge south of Tanjung Piai, Malaysia (East of Malacca Strait) have reported robbers illegally boarding their Barge. The Tug's Master reported all crew safe and a quantity of scrap metal had been stolen. The Tug did not require assistance and continued on her passage to Malaysia.
This is the fourteenth reported incident to occur within the vicinity of the Singapore & Malacca Straits since the beginning of the year; the second in March. Eight similar incidents were reported in February, in which six of the eight vessels' property was stolen, including scrap metal and engine parts. In most cases, robbers were discovered by duty crew and were armed with knives or makeshift weapons, in or near the vessels' engine room. All but seven of these incidents occurred while the vessel was underway.
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