Attack on bulkcarrier foiled off Tawi Tawi

Sea patrols of the Naval Forces Western Mindanao foiled another Abu Sayyaf Group attempt to attack vessel passing off Tawi-Tawi waters on Feb 22, 2017. The attempt took place around 10 a.m. The "Dong Hae Star" which was passing the Sulu Sea on its way from China to Indonesia, transmitted a distress call to the Littoral Monitoring Station in Bongao after noticing that suspicious looking speedboats with armed men were pursuing them as they were passing off Pearl Bank in Tawi-Tawi. More patrol boats were deployed to the area, scaring the bandits, who all then fled to an unknown direction. The LMS Bongao continued to monitor the vessel while transiting the area even as Navy ships under Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi continue to patrol the area