Singapore urges search for missing tugboat

The Regional Cooperation Agreement for Combating Piracy (ReCAAP) has called on vessels plying sea lanes to search for missing tug ‘Asta’.

Speaking to Baird Maritime, ReCAAP expressed fears that the boat might have been repainted or have had its name changed.

This is second such incidence of a tug going missing. ReCAAP said that the first incident occurred in April 2008 involving the Singapore-registered tug, ‘PROSPAQ 1’ remains, to this day, missing.

In the latest incident the ‘Asta’ was reportedly towing a barge ‘Callista’ to Cambodia on February 5 when it disappeared off the eastern coast of peninsula Malaysia. There were twelve crewmembers on board the vessel and no cargo on the barge.

ReCAAP did not name the vessel owner except to say that vessel was to dock in Cambodia on February 9.

Source: Baird Maritime