Four men, armed with gun-like objects, boarded the 'Top Diligence' on Feb 20, 2024, at 03.05 a.m. in the Strait of Malacca off Pulau Iyu Kecil, Indonesia, in pos. 1° 8.29' N 103 ° 29.15' E. Some spare parts were stolen. No injuries were reported. The ship berthed in Zhanjiang on Feb 25.
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ST NIKOLAS
Iran will be allowing the release of all crew members — mostly Filipinos — of the seized 'St. Nikolas' once their replacement to man the ship has arrived, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Feb 22. At least 17 of the 19 original crew members remain on the vessel after a Filipino and a Greek cadet were released early this month and in January, respectively. To compensate the crew managing the vessel in Iran, the concerned manning agency doubled their salary.
GAS COURAGE
While the 'Gas Courage' was anchored off the Kutubdia Anchorage, Bangladesh, in pos. 21° 49.85' N, 091° 43.17' E, on Feb 19, 2024, nine unarmed men boarded the ship and tied up the crew. The perpetrators stole ship's stores.
ST NIKOLAS
The Philippine Undersecretary of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Jose de Vega, has confirmed that one of the 18 Filipino sailors aboard the 'St. Nikolas' was released earlier in Febriary. He gave no further details about the sailor, but mentioned that Philippine authorities were working toward the release of the other crew members on board. On Jan 11, the Iranians had seized the vessel, which has since been anchored in Bandar Abbas. Greece was able to secure the release of a cadet on Jan 19. The ship's owner, Empire Navigation, said the crew on board was safe and hoped other crew members would be released soon. De Vega said that nothing was clear about the fate of the ST NIKOLAS and the matter was before the Iranian courts. Philippine authorities are actively seeking the release of the crew of the ST NIKOLAS and the GALAXY LEADER, the car carrier hijacked by the Houthis in November.
TORM THOR
The Danish-owned 'Torm Thor' was attacked in the Gulf of Aden en route from Tanjung Telepas to Djibouti on Feb 24, 2024, by the Houthi militia with several missiles. However, the attack on the tanker was averted by the American destroyer USS 'Mason', which shot down the ballistic missiles. There was thus no damage to either the warship or the 'Torm Thor', which berthed in Djibouti on Feb 25 at 5 p.m. UTC.