Sponsored By

Jakarta to extend ban on coal exports to Philippines amid hijacking fearsJakarta to extend ban on coal exports to Philippines amid hijacking fears

Troubles in the Southern Philippines continue with Indonesia vowing to extend a moratorium on coal exports to the Philippines until Manila can guarantee security in its waters, Indonesian foreign minister Retno Marsudi was quoted as saying in local media.

Vincent Wee, Hong Kong and South East Asia Correspondent

June 24, 2016

1 Min Read
Kalyakan - stock.adobe.com

This is a result of a spate of hijackings targeting Indonesian vessels, the most recent of which saw seven Indonesian sailors being kidnapped, allegedly by Abu Sayyaf militants, from an Indonesian tug boat towing a coal barge in the southern Philippines this week.

The Indonesian Navy in April instructed that all commercial vessels avoid piracy-prone waters around the southern Philippines. Meanwhile at the beginning of this week, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines agreed to designate a transit corridor for commercial vessels crossing the hijacking-prone maritime zone.

Nearly 20 Indonesian and Malaysian tugboat crews have reportedly been kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf militants this year, and fears have been expressed that the problem could become as bad as it was off the coast of Somalia previously.

Read more about:

coal

About the Author

Vincent Wee

Hong Kong and South East Asia Correspondent

Vincent Wee is Seatrade's Hong Kong correspondent covering Hong Kong and South China while also making use of his Malay language skills to cover the Malaysia and Indonesia markets. He has gained a keen insight and extensive knowledge of the offshore oil and gas markets gleaned while covering major rig builders and offshore supply vessel providers.

Vincent has been a journalist for over 15 years, spending the bulk of his career with Singapore's biggest business daily the Business Times, and covering shipping and logistics since 2007. Prior to that he spent several years working for Brunei's main English language daily as well as various other trade publications.

Get the latest maritime news, analysis and more delivered to your inbox
Join 12,000+ members of the maritime community

You May Also Like