Connect with us

Published

on

SINGAPORE – Economic uncertainty in many parts of the world is likely to fuel a rise in piracy attacks in Asian waters, said experts.

Global crises like the Ukraine war, regional geopolitical tensions and high inflation are some factors driving people to commit piracy.

Admiral Artemio M. Abu, chairman of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (Recaap ISC), said that amid these conditions, the shipping industry needs to adopt practices such as information reporting and collaborating closely with the maritime authorities as part of efforts to protect crew and cargo.

During a discussion at an anti-piracy conference on Thursday at Marina Bay Sands, experts also touched on likely future trends of pirate attacks and what more could be done to eliminate the problem.

The conference was organised by the Singapore-based Recaap ISC, supported by international shipping associationBimco, the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) and the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

Adm Abu, in his opening address, said there were 25 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia between January and March.

He said: This accounts for a 9 per cent increase over the same period last year. We urge the littoral states of the Singapore Strait to continue to enhance surveillance and enforcement, as all incidents had occurred in their internal waters, archipelagic waters and territorial seas.

In the Singapore Strait, there were 18 piracy attacks between January and March the same as that for the corresponding period in 2022, said a Recaap ISC report.

The total number of attacks in the Singapore Strait one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes hit a seven-year high of 55 cases in 2022. The vessels attacked included bulk carriers, tankers, and tug boats and barges.

During a panel discussion, the Singapore navys Maritime Security Task Force commander Augustine Lim said the attacks in the Singapore Strait occur mostly during the festive season and monsoons.

Colonel Lim said: They usually target the bulk carriers and tankers as they are slower in speed, and the perpetrators often blend in with the fishing vessels, making it hard to identify them accurately.

Mr Elfian Harun of Intertanko said industry players and the authorities can use information provided by Recaap ISC to coordinate patrols and look out for ships that are likely targets for pirates. Panellists at Recaap ISCs anti-piracy conference on April 27 touched on likely future trends of pirate attacks and what more could be done to eliminate the problem. PHOTO: RECAAP ISC Another panellist, Mr Ashok Srinivasan, who is a manager at Bimco, said ships could be targeted at the same location because it is easier for pirates to launch an attack and retreat to a safe location in that area.

Recaap ISC assistant director Lee Yin Mui said that once a group member or the group itself is arrested, there tends to be a drop in attacks in that area.

During the discussion, maritime firm BW LPGs general manager Geoffrey Pearson touched on how crew members lives are at stake during a pirate attack.

He said: We do not want the crews lives to just be a statistic. We need to ensure that they are provided with the basic protection required.

Also, when shipping companies hire armed guards for them, they need to conduct proper and diligent checks on the companies they are hiring the guards from. Rear-Admiral Gregorious Agung, from Indonesian maritime security agency Bakamla, said regional partnerships are also key to ensuring maritime security in the region. Bakamla will host the Asean Coast Guard Forum in Jakarta from June 6 to June 9, he added.

Wrapping up the discussion on Thursday, Recaap ISC executive director Krishnaswamy Natarajan said the fight against piracy is the common responsibility of all stakeholders because it is a transnational maritime crime.

He said: Building trust and confidence among stakeholders is necessary to promote cooperation, collaboration and information sharing, and to reduce piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships in Asia. More On This Topic Piracy, robberies in Singapore Strait hit 7-year high in 2022 Police Coast Guard upgrades patrol boats to better manage maritime threats

Continue Reading

Sports

Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

Published

on

By

Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4

Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk will not receive supplemental discipline for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Geuntzel in Game 3, sources told ESPN on Sunday.

Tkachuk’s hit, in the third period of his team’s 5-1 loss, received a five-minute major. According to sources, the NHL Department of Player Safety determined that was enough, considering Guentzel had recently touched the puck and Tkachuk didn’t make contact with Guentzel’s head.

The department also believed that the force in which Tkachuk hit Guentzel was far lesser than the hit Tampa’s Brandon Hagel made on Florida captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, which earned Hagel a one game suspension.

The plays led both coaches to trade jabs in the media. After Barkov went down in Game 2, Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice said: “The only players we hit are the one with pucks.”

Barkov missed the end of the third period, but played in Game 3. Game 4 is Monday at Amerant Bank Arena.

At his postgame press conference, following Tkachuk’s hit on Guentzel, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper deadpanned the exact same line as Maurice.

Tkachuk leads the series in scoring with three goals and an assist through three games. Guentzel has two goals and two assists for Tampa Bay.

The Battle of Florida is living up to the billing as one of the most contentious rivalries in hockey; either Tampa or Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup Final in each of the last five seasons.

Continue Reading

Sports

Jets’ Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

Published

on

By

Jets' Hellebuyck allows five goals, pulled again

ST. LOUIS — Connor Hellebuyck, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who is among the favorites to win the award again this season, allowed five goals before being pulled early in the third period as the top-seeded Winnipeg Jets fell to the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday, evening their Western Conference first-round series at 2-2.

Hellebuyck has now been pulled in back-to-back games in St. Louis, during which he has allowed 11 goals and posted a paltry .744 save percentage. Eric Comrie made five saves in relief of Hellebuyck on Sunday, but the game had long been decided by that point.

His performances have not only energized the Blues, the No. 8 seed who lost the first two games of this series, but their fans, as well. In the third period Sunday, the St. Louis faithful chanted, “We want Connor” as he sat on the Jets’ bench.

Brayden Schenn, Tyler Tucker and Justin Faulk each scored second-period goals to give the Blues a 4-1 lead, and Robert Thomas scored 2:01 into the third, ending Hellebuyck’s day.

Across the ice, St. Louis goaltender Jordan Binnington, who defeated Hellebuyck in the 4 Nations Face-Off final in February when Canada outlasted Team USA, made 30 saves in the win. The Blues have now won 14 straight regular-season and playoff games at home dating back to Feb. 23.

“The last 10 minutes, we gave up three goals,” Winnipeg coach Scott Arniel said of the second period. “Those are coverage goals, and those are situations that we usually handle pretty well. They are finding ways to get that puck in the net.”

Kyle Connor scored for the Jets, staking the road team to a 1-0 lead, but the powerful Winnipeg offense that helped the club win the Presidents’ Trophy was never heard from again.

“This is obviously not what we wanted,” Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele said. “But it’s a best two-of-three series now.”

Hellebuyck has been pulled in consecutive games only one other time in his career, and given the Jets lost in Round 1 last season to the Colorado Avalanche, the Winnipeg goaltending situation figures to be a storyline the rest of this series.

“At the end of the day, you know what, they took advantage of home ice,” Arniel said of the Blues. “We’ve put ourselves in this position. And our best players have to be better than their best players.”

The Jets and Blues return to Winnipeg for Game 5 on Wednesday night.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Continue Reading

Sports

Williams out as Yanks’ closer; Weaver to get a shot

Published

on

By

Williams out as Yanks' closer; Weaver to get a shot

NEW YORK — Devin Williams has been removed from his role as New York Yankees closer “for right now,” manager Aaron Boone said Sunday.

The move comes two days after Williams endured another rough outing and was booed off the mound at Yankee Stadium in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old right-hander has a 11.25 ERA with career-worst marks in strikeout rate (18.2%), whiff rate (24.1%) and walk rate (15.9%) in eight innings across 10 appearances this season.

“He’s still got everything to be great, right? This is a guy that is in the prime of his career and he’s just going through it a little bit,” said Boone, who informed Williams of the decision Saturday. “I tell our players all the time, you make a career that’s long enough and you’re going to face some challenging moments. You’re going to face some adversity along the way. And good news for Devin is he’s got everything to get through this and come out better on the other side. And that’s my expectation.

“But, for right now, I think it’s best for everyone that we pull him out of that role and try and start building some good rhythm and confidence and momentum and fully expect him to be a central figure for us moving forward.”

Boone said setup man Luke Weaver, who has a 0.00 ERA in 13 innings pitched this season, will assume “a lot of” the team’s save opportunities. Boone maintained he is open to using Weaver in high-leverage spots earlier in games and other relievers to close.

As for Williams, Boone said he won’t have a specific role — whether pitching in low-leverage situations or tight spots just earlier in games — as he seeks to re-establish himself for a team with the ninth-best bullpen ERA in the majors despite his struggles.

The key will be for Williams to avoid falling behind in counts as he did against the three hitters he faced Friday, leading to the home crowd again showering him with loud boos while adding a “We want Weaver!” chant.

Williams wound up surrendering two runs on three hits without recording an out to blow the save and continue his alarming troubles.

The Yankees hope his changeup-fastball mix will baffle hitters again and allow him to return to the pitcher he has been for his entire career.

“Count leverage is a big thing for pitchers, understandably, as it is for hitters,” Boone said. “And I think he’s been behind a number of times. He’s also had it not bounce his way in a number of these games where it’s gotten away.

“But I think the biggest thing for a guy as good as he is, as good as his track record is, and where he is from an age standpoint in the prime of his career, it’s just about, I think, man, having it start to click, getting in a good rhythm and then off we go.”

The Yankees acquired Williams in December to replace Clay Holmes as the club’s closer with one year of team control remaining before reaching free agency. The trade, which sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and prospect Corbin Durbin to Milwaukee, figured to cement the Yankees’ bullpen as one of the best in the majors.

Williams established himself as one of baseball’s premier relievers over six seasons with the Brewers using a singular screwball-like changeup known as “The Airbender.” The right-hander posted a 1.83 ERA with a 39.4% across 241 appearances in Milwaukee. He won the 2020 National League Rookie of the Year Award as a setup man for Josh Hader and made two All-Star teams. His status was undisputed.

But Williams’ Yankees tenure has been turbulent from start. After emerging as the catalyst to have the Yankees’ decades-long no-beard policy changed during spring training, he was booed at Yankee Stadium during his sloppy debut on Opening Day against his former club.

Boone acknowledged the fans’ treatment could have an impact on Williams’ performance.

“I think there’s that adjustment,” Boone said. “Devin’s really been nothing but successful at the big-league level. He’s dominated. So, that’s all part of it. That’s what I talk to these guys all the time about is like, again, you’re going to go through a tough moment. When I came here in 2003 at the trade deadline, Mariano Rivera was getting booed in August. I couldn’t believe it. And then he’s still Mariano Rivera, recoups and goes on to do what he does.

“So, I’m sure there’s some shock to that and some … getting settled. He’s with a new team in a new environment. That’s all part of it. But my reminder to him is you have all the equipment to do this at an elite level and that’s still a reality.”

In other developments, Luis Gil, the reigning AL Rookie of the Year Award winner, started his throwing program Sunday. He has been sidelined since Feb. 28 because of a high-grade lat strain, is on the 60-day injured list and is projected to return in June at the earliest.

Also, right-hander Jonathan Loáisiga, who is returning from internal brace elbow surgery, started his rehab assignment for Class A Tampa on Saturday and threw 11 pitches with one strikeout in a clean inning. He could rejoin the Yankees as early as late May.

Continue Reading

Trending