Two incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (one CAT 21 incident and one CAT 32 incident) were reported to the ReCAAP ISC. Both incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers while underway off Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Straits (SS) on 8 Jan and 9, 2025. The 'Anabela was boarded by four perpetrators, armed with guns, six nautical miles west of Pulau Cula on Jan 8 at 4 a.m. in pos. 1°3.95' N 103° 36.83' E. Nothing was reported stolen.
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SHUNXING39
After Taiwan accused the "Shunxing 39" of destroying a submarine cable, China and the shipping company have now denied the accusations and responsibility for the severed cable off Taiwan. The director of the company Jie Yang Trading Limited, Guo Wenjie, confirmed that the ship had passed the north coast of Taiwan. However, the freighter had nothing to do with the damage to the cable, said Guo, adding that the freighter complied with all regulations. Guo Wenjie did not explain why the ship was off Taiwan for almost a month. The company is registered in Hong Kong, Guo Wenjie is a mainland Chinese.
TRINITY ISLAND
Two incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (one CAT 21 incident and one CAT 32 incident) were reported to the ReCAAP ISC. Both incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers while underway off Pulau Cula in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Straits (SS) on 8 Jan and 9, 2025. The 'Trinity Island' was boarded by six perpetrators, armed with knices, 6.4 nautical miles northeast of Pulau Cula on Jan 9 at 5.44 a.m. in pos. 1°8.11' N 45° 81' E. The intruders stole engine spares.
YI PENG3
Unusual maneuvers by Russian ships have been observed in the southern Kattegat, indicating possible underwater operations. Particularly conspicuous were the presence of the tugs "Sergeji Balk" and "SB123". The "Sergeji Balk" has been observed since the afternoon of Jan 6 on the deep-water route that leads from the Great Belt through the Kattegat. It was moving up and down a stretch of about 21.5 nautical mile east of Grenaa on northeast and southwest courses. Since the evening of Jan 6, it has been supported by the "SB123", which was obviously specially ordered from Baltiysk. The operation, in which at least two other units were involved, was stopped around noon on Jan 8, and both tugs started transiting through the Great Belt into the central Baltic Sea. The recorded movements have nothing in common with a normal passage. As far as publicly available information suggests, submarine cables did not appear to be the direct focus of current interest. Instead, another suspicion is coming into focus: Not far from the conspicuous search strips of the Russian units, the "Yi Peng 3" had been anchoredi. The bulk carrier was identified at both locations where damage to submarine cables between Sweden and Lithuania and between Finland and Germany was detected in mid-November and are the subject of further investigations. The "SB123" had already aroused suspicion in the same sea area, when the tug, together with the 'Chusovoy -GS-31', a hydroacoustic reconnaissance vessel, had moved towards Skagen on Oct 4, 2024 and anchored in the Great Belt in the sea area between Grenaa, Seelands Odde and Anholt. It remained nearby for some time before continuing north. At that time the laying of underwater cables near an offshore wind farm Anholt may have aroused Russian interest. The "Chusovoy" is capable of deploying underwater equipment. The "Sergeji Balk" was observed on Dec 31, 2024, together with an unidentified Kilo-class submarine, passing through the Great Belt and escorted by the Danish Navy. Both took shelter from the approaching storm southeast of Skagen in Denmark on January 1, 2025. hey were joined on Jan 2 by the missile corvette "Soobrazitelny", which accompanied the Russian tanker "General Skobelev" and the roro vessel "Sparta II" on their way to the Mediterranean. The "Sergeij Balk" and the submarine, which was believed to be the B-608 "Mozhaisk" to be delivered to the Pacific Fleet, stayed in the sea area around Skagen for a relatively long time, it was reasonable to assume that there was a technical problem on one of the two vessels. This suspicion was reinforced by the departure of the "SB123" and another tug, the "Evgeniy Churov". The apparently inexplicable movements of the "Sergeji Balk", the "SB 123" and two other units linked to Russia that can now be observed indicate a different order situation. In addition, on the morning of Jan 8, the corvette "Soobrazitelny" and an unidentifiable submarine were spotted heading south in the northern part of the Kattegat, east of the island of Läsoe.
NL LAW ENF VES F803
Due to multiple incidents of sabotage with sea cables and the Russian threat, the Netherlands have sent the Zr.Ms. 'Tromp' from Den Helder to Norway on Jan 4, 2025. It berthed in Haakonsvern on Jan 6. The goal is to monitor safety and keep an eye on suspicious ships to prevent them from doing something. First of all, the ship is used to record suspicious activities at sea as there have been many sabotage actions recently against submarine infrastructure, with the suspicion that Russia is behind it to make life in the Western countries more difficult and to put them under pressure. In order to prove that, it is important that the navy ship is there in time, f.e. when a ship drops anchor and drags it along the seabed, destroying cables or pipes.