Shadows in paradise: Brutal attack on expedition boat in Papua New Guinea

Chinese sailor Zhai Mo's plan to become the first person to circumnavigate Antarctica under sail alone came to an abrupt end in an area that is considered an extremely hot spot among sailors: he and his crew were lured off board in Papua New Guinea, the boat was plundered, brutally vandalised and almost sunk. Previously, Zhai Mo was the first Chinese to sail solo around the world and most recently the Arctic. Nobody knows what will happen next.

Chinese sailor Zhai Mo, known as China's first person to sail single-handed around the world, suffers a serious setback in a new record attempt. He wanted to be the first person to circumnavigate Antarctica in a sailing boat. But after almost two months at sea, his ship "Zhai Mo 1" was the victim of a devastating robbery during a stopover in Papua New Guinea. The ship was vandalised and the expedition, which had started in Shanghai on 10 October 2023, had to be interrupted. Zhai Mo and his crew were unharmed.

Dramatic raid in Papua New Guinea

The crew reached the waters of Papua New Guinea on the evening of 2 December. Employees of the registration authorities are said to have ordered the entire crew to go ashore. All crew members were taken to the capital by water police boat to complete immigration and customs formalities. When the crew returned to their sailing boat on the morning of 4 December, they found a scene of devastation. Pirates had plundered the "Zhai Mo 1". From the navigation equipment to the outboard engine, generator, sails, lifeboat and personal belongings, literally everything that wasn't nailed down had been stolen or dismantled. But that was not all: the robbers then deliberately opened the sea valves and flooded the cabins. The ship suffered devastating damage.

After the incident, the local police were able to track down and intercept a boat involved in the looting, allowing them to recover some of the equipment and property of the "Zhai Mo 1". However, no other boats or pirates involved in the crime were apprehended.

Zhai Mo and his team are currently being supported by the authorities in Papua New Guinea, the Chinese embassy and consulates on site, as well as the local Chinese community. First of all, the crew faces the difficult task of salvaging the ship and deciding whether and how to proceed.

China's first circumnavigator

Skipper Zhai Mo, born in 1968, is one of China's best-known sailors. An artist by trade, he met an elderly Norwegian sailor who had sailed around the world one and a half times 25 years ago at an exhibition of his paintings in New Zealand. Zhai was so impressed by his stories that he bought a second-hand, eight-metre-long sailing boat without an engine in Auckland. He hardly knew anything about sailing. The previous owner taught him the basics in just a few hours of practice.

In January 2007, Zhai set off from Rizhao in the Chinese province of Shandong on a solo circumnavigation of the globe in a small boat. With the two-and-a-half-year trip around the globe, Zhai Mo became the first Chinese to achieve this single-handedly with a sailing boat.

Expedition with a scientific background

The planned expedition was to be the first motorless circumnavigation of the Antarctic along the Arctic Circle. Zhai Mo, now something of China's ambassador for navigation and the well-being of the oceans, wanted to sail with his team through the East China Sea, cross the "Roaring Forties" and enter the Southern Ocean. The route would take him and his crew through the Drake Passage towards the end of the year, with planned stops at China's Antarctic stations around Chinese New Year, before returning to Shanghai.

In addition to the skipper, there were also marine scientists and documentary film-makers on board who wanted to research and report on the expedition. Their equipment was also lost in the attack in Papua New Guinea.

Paradise with a dark side

Dream beaches, reefs with colourful fish and countless islands are tempting, but Papua New Guinea is considered a hot spot for travellers. The German Foreign Office also warns: "Crime in Papua New Guinea is very high overall." Robberies in which the perpetrators show a high propensity for violence, including homicide, are not uncommon. A lack of infrastructure and communication options, particularly in remote areas, makes it considerably more difficult to request or provide help in dangerous situations.

As recently as July 2024, a 71-year-old French sailor was the victim of a violent crime in the harbour of Bona Bona, an island in the south-east of the country. He was robbed and murdered, after which the perpetrators sank the boat with the body on board. The man was travelling alone on a cruise through Oceania when he fell victim to the attack.