ReCAAP ISC informed that in February 2022, nine incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. No piracy incident on high seas was reported. In addition, the situation in the Singapore Strait (SS) continues to be an area of concern.
Key points
- 9 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia;
- 8 of the 9 incidents occurred in the SS;
- No report of abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah.
Number of incidents
In February 2022, nine incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. All were actual incidents and no attempted incident was reported. All incidents were verified and reported to the ReCAAP ISC by ReCAAP Focal Points.
Of the nine incidents reported in February 2022, eight incidents took place on board ships while underway in the SS and one incident on board a ship while anchored at Balikpapan Anchorage, Indonesia.
Significance levels of incidents
Of the nine actual incidents reported in February 2022, one was a CAT 3 incident and eight were CAT 4 incidents.
The CAT 3 incident occurred on board a bulk carrier while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the SS. Three perpetrators armed with knives boarded the ship, stole engine spares and escaped. The crew was safe.
Of the eight CAT 4 incidents, seven incidents occurred in the SS and one incident in Indonesia. Ship stores and engine spares were stolen in four incidents; and nothing was stolen in the other four incidents. The crew was not injured in all eight incidents.
Areas of concern
The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the increasing number of incidents in the SS and the persisting threat of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas.
1. Increasing number of incidents in the Singapore Strait (SS)
A total of 13 incidents were reported in the SS during January-February 2022. This accounts for 81% of the total number of incidents in Asia (16 incidents).
2. Threat of abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas
No incident was reported in the Sulu-Celebes Seas during January-February 2022. However, the threat of abduction of crew for ransom in Sulu and Tawi-Tawi remains high as the leaders of the ASG are still at large.
Armed robbery against ships in the Singapore Strait
A total of eight actual incidents were reported in the SS in February 2022. Of these, seven incidents occurred in the eastbound lane of the TSS and one incident in the precautionary area of the TSS.
Of the eight incidents reported in February 2022, five incidents occurred off Nongsa, Batam Island (Indonesia), two incidents off Pulau Cula (Indonesia) and one incident off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island (Indonesia).
- The majority of the incidents involved 2 men. Five of the eight incidents reported 2 perpetrators on board the ships.
- One incident reported that the perpetrators carried knives. The remaining seven incidents either reported that the perpetrators were not armed or had no information whether the perpetrators were armed or not.
- Four of the eight incidents reported that the perpetrators escaped empty-handed and these incidents occurred off Pulau Nongsa in the eastbound lane of the TSS. In the other four incidents where losses were reported, engine spares and ship stores were stolen.
- The crew was not injured in all eight incidents.
- All eight incidents occurred to bigger ships. Five incidents occurred on board bulk carriers and three incidents on board tankers.
Abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes seas and waters off Eastern Sabah
There was no report of incident of abduction of crew for ransom in February 2022. The last known incident occurred more than two years ago on 17 Jan 20 off Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia where eight crew were abducted from a fishing trawler by the ASG. Seven of the eight abducted crew were rescued between January 2020 to March 2021 and one crew was found dead. There is no crew currently held in captivity by the ASG.
The ReCAAP ISC reiterates its advisory to all ships to reroute from the area, where possible. Otherwise, ship masters and crew are strongly urged to exercise extra vigilance while transiting the area, and report all incidents immediately to the Operation Centres of the Philippines and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) of Malaysia
Recommendations
Littoral States
The ReCAAP ISC strongly urges the littoral States to increase patrols and enforcement in their respective territorial seas/archipelagic waters, and to promote cooperation and coordination among the littoral States for patrols and information sharing on incidents and criminal groups involved, in order to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.
Shipping Industry
- While transiting the SS, ship masters and crew are strongly advised to heighten vigilance and proactively adopt the following measures:
- Keep abreast of the latest situation (at www.recaap.org) particularly the incident-prone areas in the SS. The ReCAAP ISC’s reports indicate detailed locations of incidents with latitude and longitude.
- Tune-in to advisories and navigational broadcasts announced by the authorities.
- Maximise alertness of lookouts for suspicious small boats and increase watch keeping; particularly during daylight time for barges and during night time for
bigger ships. - Maintain communication with their shipping company by providing periodic updates and establish daily communication checks.
- Report all incidents, suspicious activities and presence of suspicious small boats in the vicinity to the nearest coastal State and flag State.
- Sound alarm when suspicious boats are sighted loitering in the vicinity of the ship or barge or suspicious individuals are sighted on board the ship or barge.
EXPLORE MORE AT RECAAP ISC’S PIRACY REPORT
