Piracy Incident Report: Colombia

Piracy Incident Report: 453

Incident Type:Boarded
Area: Buenaventura Inner Anchorage, Colombia
Position: 03°51’N - 077°05’W
Date of Incident:05.06.15 REPORTED LATE
Time of Incident (LT): 1400
Information Source: :: : IMB

The Duty AB on routine rounds, on-board an anchored Product Tanker, noticed the paint store’s padlock broken. Upon checking, he found that ship’s stores were missing. The Port Control were informed.

Allmode Comment:

Robberies from ports in Colombia are common and many go unreported to the authorities. The Colombian Navy have recently launched two new naval ships to serve in the vicinity of the country’s Pacific waters for the purposes of defending its sovereignty as well as provide further support for operations aimed at preventing drug trafficking, particularly one that occurs via the use of speedboats. These should help improve the operational capacity of the Navy to provide assistance, but only if vessels are vigilant and report incidents in a timely fashion.

Piracy Incident Report 321

Robbers boarded an anchored General Cargo ship during bunkering operations and stole the forward life raft. The theft was noticed by the duty crew during departure time. The incident was report to the Harbour Authorities.

 Allmode Comment: The theft of inflatables or small craft is common in this region, as they are used by criminal gangs to navigate the many small tributaries that feed into the sea. Vessels should ensure that all small craft are secured adequately, bearing in mind that they are highly sought after commodities.