On 8 Dec 10 at or about 0428 hrs, 10 robbers armed with pistols and parangs (long knives) boarded a Singapore-registered tug boat, Aom T1301 from a speed boat at approximately 4.3 nm southeast of Tanjung Piai, Malaysia (1 12 15 N 103 33 40 E). The tug boat, Aom T1301 towing barge Sinobest 2505 was underway from Port Klang to Singapore at the time of the incident. The robbers took away the crew’s cash and personal belongings before escaping. The crew was not injured. The ship master reported the incident to Singapore’s Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) which is also the ReCAAP Focal Point (Singapore). The POCC initiated navigational broadcast on VHF and NAVTEX to alert mariners operating the vicinity, and informed the MRCC of Jakarta and Putrajaya about the incident.
Name Aom T1301, IMO 9531674, grt 165, built 2008, flag Singapore.