SINGAPORE: Pirates attacked a South Korean-flagged cargo ship near the Singapore Strait on Monday (Jul 22) morning, assaulting the crew and making off with thousands of dollars in cash, Korea's Yonhap news agency said.
Seven pirates on a speedboat attacked the CK Bluebell before dawn, leaving some crew members with minor injuries, the report said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementThe pirates, who were armed with guns and other weapons, made off with US$13,000 in cash, Yonhap reported, citing officials at South Korea's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries.
In addition, the sailors lost personal belongings including mobile phones, clothes and shoes to the pirates, the agency added.
The CK Bluebell, which was en route to Incheon from Brazil, resumed its normal navigation after the attack, said the report.
CNA has reached out to the Singapore Police Force, which manages the coastguard, and MPA for more information on the incident.
AdvertisementAdvertisementPiracy has fallen in the busy sea lane that runs past Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in recent years amid heavier policing.
Earlier this month, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said there had been no information on immediate threats to ships sailing through the Straits of Malacca and Singapore or to Singapore-registered ships.
The authority was responding after China raised its security warning to the highest level for its vessels heading through the Straits of Malacca. China did not give a reason for the raised alert, according to Bloomberg.
In May, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen warned that piracy and terrorism were among threats to maritime security.
While the number of piracy and armed robbery incidents along the Strait of Malacca fell from 20 in 2007 to eight so far this year, “more work needs to be done” on terrorism threats, he said.
He added that experts believe that most of the weapons used by militants during the recent conflict in Marawi came from the sea.
Other Islamic State-linked terrorists like the Abu Sayaff group also continue to abduct the crew of transiting ships in the Sulu-Celebes Sea and the waters off East Sabah in exchange for ransom.
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