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Master Stabbed in Pirate Attack in Malacca Straits

CMMI Condemns incident, Calls it ‘Unacceptable.’
06 Nov 2023

The Master of the MV Merchia, a Marshall Islands flagged bulker, was seriously
hurt during a stabbing incident following a boarding by pirates in the Malacca
Straits, near Singapore. The victim of this horrific attack is reportedly in a stable
condition. He was taken ashore to Singapore for treatment.

According to Singapore's Maritime and Port Authority (MPA), the Maritime Rescue
Coordination Centre for the region was notified of a boarding and robbery on at 0430
hours on the 3rd of Nov. The vessel was located outside of Singapore's territorial seas
and was headed east for Singapore.

Gory pictures of the attack are doing the rounds in social media.

Condemning this incident, the Chairman of The Company of Master Mariners of

India, (CMMI) Capt MP Bhasin said, “This violent crime against a fellow seafarer
and Captain of a ship is of grave concern to us, and we express our deepest
sympathy to the victim while praying for his early recovery.”

The CMMI General Secretary, Capt Vivek Bhandarkar, added, “We condemn this
heinous act, and we will raise this issue of security of ship’s staff to the right
platforms where it can be addressed in an effective manner.

“After all, if seafarers are to remain effective ‘Essential Personnel’, their safety
cannot be ignored. This state of affairs is completely unacceptable.”

Personal details and nationality of the victim are not available at this time.

Pirate boardings are a frequent occurrence in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and
violence against ship’s crew is not uncommon. While on the one side verses are sung to
the bravery and selfless work of seafarers, particularly during the Covid pandemic when
they kept shipping lanes operational and supply chains uninterrupted, such heinous
crimes against seafarers often go unchecked along the coasts of many nations.
On October 23 and 24 this year, two other incidents occurred, both involving several
male robbers carrying knives. One of the instances resulted in the theft of ship's stores.

All told, at least 62 incidents of armed robbery have been reported in the Straits since
January 2023, including last Friday's boarding.
-ENDS