A robbery has been reported aboard a Marshall Islands-flagged Bulk Carrier while underway in the Eastbound Lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS), along the Phillip Channel, Singapore Strait. Four perpetrators boarded the vessel armed with knives, and were able to escape with engine parts. The Master reported all crew are safe, the vessel did not require any assistance, and she continued her voyage to Qingdao, China.
This is the seventeenth incident reported within the vicinity of the Singapore & Malacca Straits since the beginning of the year; the fifth in March. Eight similar incidents were reported in February, in which property was stolen aboard six of the vessels, including scrap metal and engine parts. All incidents have occurred while vessels were underway. In most cases, robbers were discovered by duty crew in or near the vessels' engine room, and armed with knives or makeshift weapons.
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