One CAT 41 incident of armed robbery against ships in Asia was reported to ReCAAP ISC from 6-12 September.
The incident occurred on board a barge towed by a tug boat on 7 September 22 at approximately 3.5 nm southeast of Tanjung Piai, West Johor (Malaysia), in the precautionary area of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.
With this incident, a total of 38 incidents were reported since January 2022 in the SS; comprising 24 incidents in eastbound lane of TSS, eight incidents in precautionary area, three incidents in westbound lane, two incidents outside TSS, and one in the separation zone.
The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait (SS). An Incident Alert (IA 03/2022) was issued on 1 Aug 22 to alert the shipping community, urge littoral States to increase patrols and enforcement, and advise all ships to intensify vigilance when transiting the area
What is more, during August a total of 6 incidents of armed robbery took place, and no piracy incident.
In addition, there was no incident of abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah in August 2022. The last known incident occurred on 17 January 2020.
The threat of abduction of crew, however, remains potentially high due to the presence of remnants of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the area of Sulu and nearby waters off Tawi-Tawi.
Recommendations
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 appropriate preventive measures taking reference from the Regional Guide 2 to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.
