The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) reports a rise in theft, robbery and piracy at sea (TRAPS) incidents with a record of two Sea Robberies, six Sea Thefts, and two Attempted Actions incidents from January to August 2020 in both Manila and Batangas Bay, Philippines.
Namely, the report highlights that the areas of concern are Manila and Batangas Bay, as 10 incidents were recorded, in comparison to only two in 2019 and three in 2018 during the same period.
It is stated that seven incidents were observed in Manila Bay anchorage, which targeted anchored vessels and occurred within the hours of darkness between 2200hrs to 0430hrs. In all incidents, only small items were reported stolen without any damage to the vessels. Only one (14.3%) incident involving an armed perpetrator was reported while causing no harm to the crew.
In addition, in Batangas Bay three incidents were reported. In all incidents, perpetrators were armed with knives, and in one case (33.3%) crew was harmed by the perpetrators. The perpetrators were observed to be confrontational in these three incidents as compared to past incidents.
Following the incidents, the Philippine authorities, particularly in Manila Bay and the Coast Guard Station – Batangas, have increased their security
monitoring and patrolling in the said areas to tackle the increased numbers of incidents.
The report concludes that
While efforts and measures have been taken by the local authorities in the region to counter illegal activities, maintaining vigilance, adopting strong deterrence measures, and timely reporting remain key to mitigating such incidents’ risks from proliferation.
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