The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) has released its annual report in which it highlights that a total of 117 theft, robbery and piracy at sea (TRAPS) incidents in the IFC’s Area of Interest (AOI) were recorded in 2023.
The rise in incident numbers can be attributed to the combined effects of (a) global economic factors leading to increased cost of living and unemployment, and (b) challenging weather conditions affecting fishing yields, leading locals with requisite skillsets to resort to crimes at sea to supplement income for daily needs.
As with past years, the Singapore Strait (SS) (58 incidents) remains the main area of concern; notwithstanding, there was a notable 47% decrease in incidents in the second half of 2023. Of note, Indonesian authorities conducted operations in October 2023, resulting in the arrest of several suspects; this has had a significant impact in deterring other potential perpetrators, particularly in November and December 2023. Overall, the IFC expects incident numbers in 2024 to remain within similar levels as 2023 (within IFC’s AOI); incident numbers may even decline if ongoing enforcement efforts continue to be effective.
According to IFC, The breakdown for the 117 TRAPS incidents is as follows:
111 boardings, 4 hijackings, 1 attempted boarding, and 1 suspicious approach. 88 incidents involved Sea Theft and 29 incidents involved Sea Robbery. Apart from SSManila Anchorage and the Malacca Strait (MS) are the other key areas of concern based on incident numbers and/or severity. Notably, there has been an overall decline in incident numbers in the latter half of 2023, most likely due to increased regional enforcement efforts.
#1 Theft robbery and piracy: Total number of reported incidents: 117 (104 in 2022)
There has been an increase in the number of incidents, with the majority being petty theft and non-violent in nature. 4 hijacking incidents occurred in Bangladesh (2), Papua New Guinea (1), and Indonesia (1), with 3 involving fishing vessels and 1 involving a small boat. The incident off Bangladesh involved guns and led to death and serious injuries of fishermen.
The 58 incidents in Singapore Strait (SS) recorded in 2023 is higher than that of 2022 (55), with incidents occurring in the Phillip Channel, and waters off Bintan and Batam islands. Number of incidents fell by 47% in the second half of the year. This is assessed to be due to stepped-up enforcement efforts by regional authorities.
#2 Maritime Incidents (MI): Total number of reported incidents: 1,023 (999 in 2022)
In 2023, the IFC streamlined its SOP to exclude incidents involving medical evacuation, work accidents and man overboard incidents as they were irrelevant to maritime security. 193 incidents were removed from 2022 numbers.
There has been a slight increase in the number of incidents as compared to last year, with main causes being bad weather and equipment failure, with these incidents typically occuring in waters off Indonesia, Philippines, and Vietnam.
..IFC stated.
Majority of the incidents involved fishing vessels, which accounted for the most dead and missing persons. The incidents were mainly attributed to bad weather and equipment failure, due to their small size and the prolonged exposure of equipment to external elements at sea.
#3 Contraband Smuggling: Total number of reported incidents: 834 (823 in 2022)
The number of reported CS incidents in 2023 is comparable to 2022, with the high numbers attributed to rising costs of living, in turn driving people to substantiate their income through the black market, and the effectiveness of enforcement efforts leading to more incidents being reported.
While smuggling of Domestic Products and Drugs accounted for the majority of reported incidents, there was a decline in incidents compared to 2022. However, Tobacco and Fuel smuggling incidents increased compared to the previous year.
#4 Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing (IUUF): Total number of reported incidents: Total number of reported incidents: 708 (559 in 2022)
There has been an increase in the number of incidents, mainly in waters off Australia, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka, with better outreach efforts in implementing anti-IUUF measures and the stepped-up enforcement efforts by authorities contributing to the increase.
…IFC stated.
Increase in poaching IUUF incidents is primarily due to increase in incidents reported in waters off Australia, with incidents involving Indonesian fishing
vessels detained off North-west Australia seeing a continued rise in 2023 due to ongoing collaboration efforts between the regional authorities.
#5 Irregular Human Migration (IHM): Total number of reported incidents: 218 (253 in 2022)
There has been a decrease in incidents witnessed in 2023 due to the improving political and economic situations in countries like Sri Lanka. Malaysia continues to be the destination of choice for most IHM incidents originating from Myanmar, Indonesia and the Philippines due to the better economic opportunities and high demand for labor in Malaysia.
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