Singapore Tug, Hijacked in Malaysia, Located at Dinagat Island Philippines

A Singapore flagged tug boat, with Indonesian crew was hijacked off of Malaysian and found in the Philippines. Dinagat island is just North East of Mindanao. That is a far distance from Malaysia or Singapore. The Tug was en-route to Cambodia.

 

The dangers of the tug towage operation is apparent, when operating at a speed of about 5 knots.

Tug and Towage Security

The security for a tug and towage operation is unique to the maritime security industry. this is the type of operation that really emphasizes the there is no "One Size Fits All" in the security field. Usually this type of transit travels at a very low speed (5 - 7 knots) and the towed asset is far behind (500 - 700 meters) making it a very high risk transit operation.

Recently, a tug was hijacked in the South China Sea, and yesterday located in the Southern Philippines. This gives added awareness that the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean regions are not the only high risk areas.

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/regions/02/27/10/hijacked-singapore-tugboat-found-philippines-coastguard
ISSG Holdings, Ltd. knows the challenges faced by tug operators and is prepared to offer solutions for tug and towage transits.