ReCAAP ISC released its Half-Yearly (January to June 2018) Report. Namely, 40 incidents were reported from January to June 2018. This is the lowest number of incidents since 10 years for the same period. It also marks a 15% year-on-year decrease.
In the Half-Yearly Report, ReCAAP ISC analyzes the main characteristics of incidents at ports and anchorages in Bangladesh, the Philippines and Vietnam as well as incidents on board ships while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, particularly the Singapore Strait.
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In this year’s report, ReCAAP ISC found the following:
- Of the 40 incidents, 29 were actual incidents while 11 were attempted cases;
- 37 (92%) were armed robbery against ships and three (8%) were piracy;
- There was no Category 1 incident, and two Category 2 incidents;
- 31 incidents happened on board ships at anchor or berth;
- 9 incidents happened on board ships underway.
This indicates a 15% decrease compared to the same period in 2017 in the number of incidents reported. This is also the lowest number among the 10-year period (2009-2018) of January to June.
More specifically, the areas that saw the most improvement are:
- No actual incident of abduction of crew or theft of oil cargo;
- Decrease in the number of incidents at ports and anchorages in the Philippines;
- Successful arrests and recovery of stolen items.
However, despite the positive results of this period, there are still some developments that are concerning. Namely:
- There was a slight increase of incidents in the Singapore Strait, from 2 cases in Jan-Jun 2017 to 4 cases in Jan-Jun 2018;
- There was a slight increase of incidents at ports and anchorages in Vietnam, from zero case in Jan-Jun 2017 to 2 cases in Jan-Jun 2018;
- One attempted incident of abduction of crew in Sulu-Celebes Seas;
- One attempted incident of theft of oil cargo.
Looking back 11 years, to the beginning of the Half-Yearly Report, ReCAAP ISC shares its insights from the data of incidents during Jan-Jun period over the last 11 years (2007-2017):
Straits of Malacca and Singapore
- Of 122 incidents analysed over the past 11 years, 111 incidents (91%) happened in the Singapore Strait and 11 incidents (9%) in the Malacca Strait;
- The majority of perpetrators operated in groups of 4-6 men (40%);
- 64% of the perpetrators were not armed/not stated, while 30% were armed with knives/machetes;
- In 83% of the incidents, the crew were not injured/not stated;
Singapore Strait
- More incidents took place in the western sector than the eastern sector of the Singapore Strait (85 in western sector, 26 in eastern sector);
- Bulk carriers and tankers were mostly boarded in the eastbound lane of TSS in the western sector;
- Among tug boats/supply vessels boarded in both western sector and eastern sector, relatively more incidents occurred in the westbound lane of the TSS in the western sector;
- Engine spares tended to be the most common items stolen from bulk carriers and tankers in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the western sector;
- Cash/property tended to be the most common items stolen from tug boats/supply vessels in the eastbound lane of the TSS in the western sector (northwest of Pulau Batam);
- Scrap metal tended to be the most common item stolen from barges towed by tug boats in the westbound lane of the TSS in the western sector;
- There appeared to be a correlation between armed perpetrators and treatment of crew in the eastbound lane of the TSS in the western sector; i.e. the more heavily armed the perpetrators, the more violent they tended to be towards the crew.
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