INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

AFPN 6504
103 Tanah Merah Coast Road, #02-01
Singapore 498750
Tel: +65 9626 8965 (Mobile)
+65 6594 5728 (Office)
Fax:
+65 6594 5734
IFC_DO@defence.gov.sg
www.infofusioncentre.gov.sg
10 Mar 15

INFORMATION FUSION CENTRE

28 Feb 6 Mar 15

Figure 1: Location of Incidents in IFC Area of Interest

For the period from 28 Feb 6 Mar 15, IFC received information as follows:
IUU Fishing

11

Piracy / Sea Robbery / Sea Theft

Irregular Human Migration

Weapons Trafficking

Maritime Incident

Contraband Trafficking

Natural Event

Maritime Terrorism

Note: 1 Contraband Trafficking Incidents, 7 Illegal Fishing, 1 Maritime Incidents, and 1 Irregular Human
Migration were reported out of the reporting period.

OVERVIEW OF INCIDENTS

Contraband Trafficking
28 Feb Ivory Smuggling/Colombo/Sri
Lanka

1 Mar - Rosewood Smuggling/ SipadanLigitan Waters/Indonesia

Details: The Sri Lanka customs seized

359 ivory tusks in a container, arriving
from Kenya bounded for Dubai at
Colombo port. The items were declared as
scrapped plastic.

Details: East Kalimantan Police foiled an

attempt to smuggle 365,772 cubic meters
of Indian rosewood between the waters of
Sipadan and Ligitan on board a boat.

28 Feb Cooking Oil and Petrol

Smuggling/Sandakan/Malaysia
Details: The Malaysian Marine Police
foiled an attempt to smuggle out 36 boxes
of cooking oil and 48 jerry cans of petrol
hidden in four speedboats heading towards
the Philippines.

Events reported outside of the period:

17
Feb

Pangolin
Scales
Smuggling/Hong Kong/China
Details: Hong Kong Customs authorities
seized over 1 ton of pangolin scales from a
shipping container which arrived from
Kenya. This is 2nd interception in HK of a
shipment of pangolin scales in 5 months;
in this last case scales were detected in a
container, declared as plastic pet.

Irregular Human Migration

5 Mar 15 Bangladeshis Rescued/
Chittagong Port/Bangladesh
Details: Bangladesh Navy rescued 15
Bangladeshis from outer anchorage of
Chittagong port who were supposed to be
trafficked to Malaysia. Three alleged
traffickers were detained. During the
operation, 50 contraband YABA tablets
were found.

Events reported outside of the period:

14 Feb 2 Arrested /Zamboanga
City/Philippines
Details: Philippine Coast Guard detained 2
women without proper documentation
during an inspection on board a ferry off
Zamboanga City. From the preliminary
investigation, they were heading to
Malaysia.

Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing

were detained at the Municipal Police
Station of Carles, while their motorboat
28 Feb 3 Fishing Boats Detained/
and its accessories were seized by the task
Munambam/India
force for safe keeping.
Details: Local Authorities detained 3
fishing boats for illegal fishing off the
2 Mar 7 Fishermen/Kuala
waters of Munambam.
Terengganu/ Malaysia
1 Mar 5 Fishermen Arrested/Carles,
Iloilo/Philippines
Details: Iloilo Provincial Bantay Dagat
Task Force arrested 3 fishermen for fishing
illegally using dynamites. The fishermen

Details: MMEA intercepted a boat with 7

fishermen while fishing in Malaysian
waters. Fishermen did not have proper
documentation
and
work
permit.
Fishermen were detained for further
investigations.

2 March 24 Arrested/Puttalam/Sri
Lanka
Details: Sri Lanka Navy from the North
Western Naval Command arrested 24
persons for illegal fishing off the waters of
Kalpitiya in Puttalam.
Events reported outside of the period:
5 Feb 29 Philippines Fishermen
Arrested/Malangabang Island
/Philippines
Details: The Philippines Navy arrested 29
fishermen for illegal fishing using trawls
and Danish Seine off the waters of
Malangabang Island.
20 Feb 12 Philippines Fishermen/
Baliguian Island /Philippines
Details: The Philippines Navy arrested 12
fishermen and seized 5 boats for illegal
fishing off the waters of Baliguian Island.
25-26 Feb Fishermen Arrested/
Kallarawa, Nilaweli and Kevuliya/Sri
Lanka
Details: The Sri Lankan Navy arrested 18
fishermen and 20 fishermen with diving
flippers, masks, snorkels and purse-seine
nets intended to be used in illegal fishing
in two different operations, respectively.
One incident happened on 25 Feb off the
waters of Kallarawa and the other
happened on 26 Feb off the waters of
Nilaweli and Kevuliya.
26 Feb 86 Indian Fishermen Arrested/
Chundikulam and Alampili/Sri Lanka
Details: 86 Indian Fishermen were
arrested and 10 fishing trawlers were
detained by the Sir Lankan Navy for
illegal fishing off the waters of
Chundikulam and Alampili.

26 Feb 5 Philippines Fishermen

Arrested/Malangas,Zamboanga/
Philippines
Details: 5 Fishermen were arrested by the
police for fishing off the waters of
Malangas, Zamboanga.
26 Feb 47 Fishermen Arrested/Kuala
Terengganu/Malaysia
Details: 47 Vietnamese fishermen were
arrested and 4 fishing boats were detained
by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement
Agency for fishing illegally in the
Malaysia waters.
27 Feb Patagonian Tootfish Poaching
Boat Boarded by Authority/Cocos
Islands/Australia
Details: Australian Maritime officials
intercepted and boarded an IUU fishing
vessel in the Southern Ocean. The fishing
vessel was reported as one of the vessel in
the international blacklist of IUU vessels.

Maritime Incident
28 Feb Boat Capsized/Macau /China
Details: A boat carrying 16 passengers on
6 Mar Collision/Tanjung Ayam/
board capsized off Macau. 6 were rescued
Malaysia
while 10 were reported missing.
Details: A collision occurred between an
anchored Vietnam Flagged general cargo
28 Feb Sailor Rescued at Sea/Pulau
ship and a Malaysia Flagged tugboat 2nm
Tikus/Malaysia
SE of Tanjung Ayam. No pollution or
Details: A 73 year old Australian sailor in
injuries were reported.
his yacht was rescued off the waters of
Kuala Baram river mouth by MMEA.
Events reported outside of the period:
3 Mar Tug Boats Intercepted off
Batam Waters/Batam/Indonesia

23 Feb 47
Quezon/Philippines

Details: A patrol ship detained 2 tug boats

and their crew for illegally operating
directly with ships passing through the
Malacca Strait and Batam waters without
permit from the Indonesian Authorities.

Details: Philippine Coast Guard rescued

47 passengers on board a boat stranded off
Infanta, Quezon Province.

People

Rescued/

Piracy/Sea Robbery/Sea Theft

5 Mar Attempted Sea Robbery/Batam/Indonesia
Details: 6 Indonesian perpetrators were arrested by Indonesian Navy while trying to board
an anchored vessel anchored in Tanjung Uncang waters. Perpetrators were using a slim
wooden boat powered by 40HP engine. Short sword blades, wrench and screwdriver and
blade cutters were confiscated.
Natural Events
Nothing significant to Report
Recommendations
IFC Advises:
1. All mariners to report any incidents timely to the nearest coastal state and IFC at the
earliest possible time.
2. Ships moving at slow speed or choosing to remain at anchor in areas where sea
robbery/theft is regularly reported to be vigilant and to adopt necessary security measures.
3. All mariners to take note on the description of the perpetrators and to take photos of the
perpetrators if possible.
4. Shippers and Seafarers operating in Sulu Sea and in vicinity of East Sabah Waters are
strongly recommended to be vigilant and to establish contact with both Malaysian and
Philippines Authorities to report their presence.

IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY

5. Shippers are advised to take note that al-Qaeda, in its recently launched English language
online magazine Resurgence, has called for the disruption of global trade and shipping
through acts of piracy, among other tactics. Shippers are therefore advised to exercise
vigilance and to adopt self-defensive measures as stated in BMP4, especially when
transiting narrow choke points and known sea robbery/piracy hot spots.
Note: Information herein was derived from various internal and external sources
such as Focal Points, OPCENs and other maritime stakeholders. Shippers should
remain vigilant especially in areas where the threat level is assessed to be above one
in accordance with the IFC Spot Commentary 2/14 and IFC quarterly assessment
report. Ships should apply the appropriate security measures (such as BMP4 or
Tugs and Barge Guide). Ship masters should also be aware and refer to the
Maritime Security Charts Q6112 and Q6113, both published by the UK
Hydrographic Office.
CONTACT
In case of any doubt, incident at sea, suspicious approach or unusual observed activity at sea,
please contact IFC: IFC Duty Officer:
Email :
IFC_DO@defence.gov.sg or ifc_do@infofusioncentre.gov.sg
Tel :
+65 9626 8965 (Mobile)
+65 6594 5728 (Office)
Fax :
+65 6594 5734
The IFC seeks your observations in the course of your normal business. The IFC would like
to remind mariners to be mindful of national and international laws, company and other
policy requirements and also health and safety obligations, whilst recording these
observations. The reporting of such events to IFC does not absolve you of your obligations
towards coastal/ port/ flag authorities.

5
IFC RELEASABLE TO MARITIME INDUSTRY