The president of the Center for River and Maritime Shipowners of Paraguay, Bern Gunther, warned that the boarding by armed men with the aim of robbing a merchant ship under flag has caused concern in the Paraguayan transport business sector. The unit was navigating the waterway and it took place at the beginning of the month, near San Nicolás.
“For us, what happened is extremely important and worrying because it is not usual for it to happen in Argentine waters. Firstly, it is not usual for it to happen in Argentina. And secondly, that the people were armed is very worrying. In Paraguay, we have similar events, but never with armed people on board,” Gunther commented to Rosario3.
The event occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, October 1st, when the motor vessel Rosa, under Paraguayan flag and owned by the company Naviship Paraguay, was subjected to a boarding and robbery while navigating. The unit was carrying 2,628 tons of containerized cargo on the Paraná River from Buenos Aires and bound for Asunción at kilometer 340, in the San Nicolás area.
According to the complaint filed by the company, during a routine round for a shift change, the sailor on watch, Matías David Piñánez Servín, observed the presence of several strangers on board, who, upon being discovered, threw themselves into the water and escaped in a red and yellow boat that was tied to the ship on its starboard side.
After an inspection by the crew, a motor pump and other minor items were found missing. Although there were no injuries, the event generated concern among the crew and highlighted once again the vulnerability of vessels during night navigation on the Paraná River.
“When the crew detected the intruders and turned on the lights and sirens, the armed people immediately got off. And that was the positive thing, because they were not so determined to want to grab the crew, who do not travel armed. Fortunately, the incident did not escalate,” added the business leader in an interview with Rosario3.
“We do not have armed guards on board the vessels, that is something that is not customary on the waterway and we do not want to go down that path. What we really want is for both the General Naval Prefecture of Paraguay and the Argentine Naval Prefecture and the Brazilian Captaincy along the entire stretch to take actions to guarantee the security of the crews. What we want is for the waterway to be safe and for our crews to arrive home safe and sound,” Gunther added.
“It is necessary to have better patrols and control in the area. We have the vessels identified and tracked by satellites, so the Prefecture knows exactly where the ship is. It would be good to identify if red zones are being created. We are always worried about everything related to drug trafficking and the theft of fuels and merchandise. But this issue of boarding a vessel armed is something new and highly worrying,” the Paraguayan business leader finally warned.
