Second Asian Chemical Tanker Attacked

A second chemical tanker has been attacked by pirates within a week in South East Asia. The crew of the vessel were bound and set adrift in life rafts late on Wednesday evening. They were subsequently rescued by fishermen on Saturday, but the vessel, Rehobot, remains missing.

The incident occurred near Lembeh Island, Indonesia. Eight masked pirates armed with knives reportedly boarded the tanker from a wooden motor boat. 

The Indonesian-flagged tanker was carrying 1,100 tons of diesel.

On the same day last week, the chemical tanker Sun Birdie was unsuccessfully attacked by pirates in Malaysia.

Attacks against small tankers off South East Asia’s coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, despite piracy at sea falling to its lowest level in eight years, according to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB). Pirates took 442 crew members hostage, compared with 304 in 2013.