A total of nine incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in April 2020, ReCAAP ISC said in its monthly piracy report. This number represents an increase from March, when 6 incident were reported. Meanwhile, the total incidents during January-April 2020 has increased compared to January-April 2019, mostly due to the increase of incidents in Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Singapore Strait.
Key figures – April 2020
- Of the nine incidents in April 2020, one was a piracy and eight were armed robberies against ships.
- All nine were actual incidents, with no attempted incident reported.
- Of these, five incidents occurred onboard ships when at anchor and four onboard ships while underway.
- There was no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah in April 2020, but the region remains a serious concern, the report stresses.
- Meanwhile, with three incidents reported in April 2020, a total of 12 incidents have occurred in the Singapore Strait since January 2020. Of the 12 incidents, 11 incidents occurred in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) and one incident in the precautionary area in the Singapore Strait.
On a month-to-month comparison, the number of total incidents reported in April 2020 is lower than the monthly number of incidents in 2020, except for the preceding month of March 2020.
Significance of incidents
- Of the nine actual incidents reported in April 2020, two were CAT 3 incidents and seven were CAT 4 incidents.
- No CAT 1 or CAT 2 incident was reported in April 2020.
- Of the two CAT 3 incidents, one incident occurred onboard a container ship anchored at Manila International Container Terminal (MICT) Breakwater, Philippines, and one incident on board a bulk carrier while underway in the Singapore Strait.
In both incidents, the perpetrators were armed with knives, and the crew was not injured.
Key figures – January to April 2020
- During January-April 2020, a total of 38 incidents (comprising 37 actual incidents and one attempted incident) of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia.
- Compared to January-April 2019, the total number of incidents reported during January-April 2020 has increased by more than 2.5 folds. A total of 14 incidents (comprising 13 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported during January-April 2019.
- The increase is attributed to the increase of incidents in Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Singapore Strait.
Recommendations
The ReCAAP ISC recommends all ships to enhance preventive measures, including maximum alertness of lookouts when transiting the Singapore Strait and report all incidents and presence of suspicious small boats in the vicinity to the nearest coastal State immediately.
The Centre also urges the littoral States to increase patrol and enforcement in their respective waters, strengthen coordination among them and promote information sharing on the latest situation and the criminal groups involved in order to arrest and prosecute them.
Although there was no report of abduction of crew from ships transiting in the SuluCelebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah in April 2020, the threat of abduction remains. The ReCAAP ISC advises the shipping industry to exercise extra vigilance when transiting the area, report all incidents immediately to the reporting centres and adopt the measures recommended in the ReCAAP ISC’s ‘Guidance on Abduction of Crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and Waters off Eastern Sabah’.
Finally, the ReCAAP ISC urges law enforcement agencies to continue to enhance surveillance, increase patrol and respond promptly to reports of incidents.
Ships transiting the areas of concern are to exercise enhanced vigilance, maintain all round lookout for suspicious boats, report all incidents to the nearest coastal State and flag State immediately, and implement preventive measures recommended in the ‘Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia’.
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