ReCAAP ISC: 4 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia since end of April

Of the four incidents, two incidents occurred to ships while anchored at Chattogram Anchorage, Bangladesh, one incident occurred to a tanker while anchored at Batangas Anchorage, the Philippines and one incident occurred to a bulk carrier while underway in the Singapore Strait.

The crew were safe in all four incidents. Ship property/stores were stolen only in three incidents. The details of the four incidents are as follows:

1. On 16 Apr, an unknown number of perpetrators in a country boat came alongside the LPG tanker. One of the perpetrators boarded the ship and reportedly stole 20 cans of paint and two drums of lubricating oil. Due to timely reporting of the incident to the local authorities, the Bangladesh Coast Guard recovered the stolen items and handed over to the master. The crew was not injured.
2. On 26 Apr, about seven to eight perpetrators boarded the petroleum/chemical tanker from a small boat. The alarm was raised and the perpetrators escaped
   immediately upon hearing the alarm. One set of gangway wire coil was found missing. The crew was not injured.
3. On 27 Apr, the master of the bulk carrier reported to Singapore Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS) that one perpetrator was sighted in the engine room.
   Nothing stolen and there was no confrontation between the perpetrator and the crew. With this incident, a total of 21 incidents since January 2022 (comprising 20 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported in the Singapore Strait.
4. On 28 Apr, three perpetrators boarded the oil/chemical/gas tanker. The alarm was raised and the perpetrators escaped immediately upon hearing the alarm. A 10mm rope bundle, two cans of grease can (20kg) and butterfly nuts of forward hatch, were stolen. The crew was not injured.

Recommendation

The ReCAAP ISC urges ship master and crew to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships to the nearest coastal State and flag State, exercise vigilance and adopt relevant preventive measures taking reference from the Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.

In its report for Q1 2022, ReCAAP ISC informs that a total of 23 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia during January-March 2022. This accounts for a 35% increase in the total number of incidents compared to the same period in 2021.