The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has reported that a crew of a cargo vessel stopped a pirate attack by defending themselves with boiling water mixed with oil.
Pirates equipped with “high-powered firearms” opened fire on their ship, the Kudos, after the crew stopped their attempts to board the vessel.
The attack on the ship, which was carrying steel, took place 4.4 nautical miles South East off Sibago Island, Basilan on February 16, 2018, as it was travelling from Manila to Davao Port in the south of the country.
Coast guard and navy vessels reached the scene of the attack after receiving a distress signal, and attended to one member of the 27 crew who sustained an injury to the hand.
A patrol vessel of the Philippine Coast Guard, MRRV-4402, then escorted the Kudos to a nearby pier in Basilan.
Image from PCG shows attack victim
In a statement, PCG said: “Initial information gathered from the ship captain, Captain Chris Paul Maligmat, revealed that the suspects attempted to board their vessel but the crew immediately responded by splashing boiled water which prompted the perpetrators to open fire.
The incident resulted to a minor injury suffered in the hands of one of the vessel’s crew [caused] from ship glass debris.
“First aid was immediately rendered to the injured person by the PCG Medical team who boarded the cargo vessel together with other personnel who conducted initial investigation.”
