The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) has reported that one of its Fearless-class patrol vessels disrupted a sea robbery on a Malaysian-flagged tugboat Permata 1 in the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait in the morning hours of Tuesday, September 1.

RSN also said that in close collaboration with the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL) and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the robbers were apprehended and the RSS Resilience escorted Permata 1 safely to Singapore waters. All crew on board the tugboat are reportedly safe and unharmed.

At 9.07 am local time Tuesday, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore’s Port Operations Control Centre received a report from Permata 1 that robbers had been sighted boarding the barge the tug was towing in the eastern approaches of the Singapore Strait. The RSN’s Maritime Security Task Force immediately deployed the RSS Resilience, which arrived at the vicinity at 9.21 am. Upon sighting the warship, the robbers fled towards Indonesian waters.

The RSN’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC) shared information on the incident and perpetrators with GUSKAMLABAR, the TNI AL Western Fleet Sea Security Group, and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which deployed assets to assist in searching for the robbers. Through the description shared by IFC, the TNI AL apprehended the three robbers and recovered the stolen cargo.

Rear-Admiral Frederick Chew, Commander of the MSTF, said: “I am heartened to see the good cooperation between Singaporean, Indonesian and Malaysian enforcement agencies in disrupting the sea robbery attempt on Permata 1. In particular, the close cooperation between the RSN and TNI AL is a reflection of the strong ties between our navies. We need to continue working closely together to keep up the pressure on sea robbers and to bring sea robbery incidents down.”

(From: World Maritime News)