Hot Water Thrown on Pirates

An attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf pirates was thwarted on Friday after boiling water mixed with oil was poured on the men as they tried to board the vessel.

The MV Kudos 1 was sailing off the waters of Basilan in the Philippines when it as attacked by men in three motorboats. After their boarding attempt failed, the pirates fired shots at the vessel and caused some damage and minor injuries as a result.
 
Lieutenant General Carlito Galvez Jr, Western Mindanao Command Commander, praised the actions of the crew who foiled the attempt before naval and coast guard forces arrived on the scene. On arrival, Coast Guard personnel treated the injured crewmen, and naval ships escorted the vessel to anchorage.

Last year, ReCAAP ISC praised the quick-thinking action of crew, saying a drop in the number of incidents was an indication of their efforts. For example, on March 5, general cargo ship, Phu An 268 carrying 2,700 tons of rice departed My Thoi port, Vietnam, for Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia. At about 1600 hrs, a skiff with six pirates on board approached and followed her for around 1.5 hours. The master and the crew raised the alarm, increased speed and activated the water hose to prevent the pirates from boarding. The master informed the Malaysian authorities immediately, and in response, the Malaysian Royal Navy deployed vessels immediately to the location of the incident to provide assistance and escort Phu An 268 safely to Sandakan port.

In another case, on February 22 at 1345hrs, bulk carrier Donghae Star was underway in the vicinity of about 37.8 nautical miles northwest of Littoral Monitoring Station Bongao, Tawi-Tawi when the ship sighted three fast boats painted in black with five pirates on board wearing black clothes. The boats were chasing after the ship at a speed of about 20.5 knots. The crew immediately contacted the Philippine Navy by radio. The Navy deployed patrol vessels to the location, and the three speed boats slowed down and stopped their chase.