According to the latest ReCAAP ISC report on piracy in Asia, a total of 64 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia during January-September 2018.
Namely, of these 64 incidents, 3 were incidents of piracy and 61 were incidents of armed robbery against ships. Comparing this incidents to January-September 2017, there was a 3% increase in the total number of incidents reported during January-September 2018.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
However, the number of actual incidents reported during January-September 2018 was the lowest among the 10-year period of January-September of 2009-2018.
In addition, there were 50 actual incidents, of which:
- 1 was a CAT 1 incident;
- 5 were CAT 2 incidents;
- 10 were CAT 3 incidents;
- 34 were CAT 4 incidents.
As for the Sulu-Celebes Seas and the abduction of crew for ransom, 2 incidents were reported during January-September 2018 compared to seven incidents during the same period in 2017.
Considering these results, along with the latest incident of abduction of two fishermen from the fishing boat ‘Sri Dewi 1’ on 11 September 18 off Eastern Sabah, ReCAAP ISC suggests the following:
- Ships are strongly advised to enhance vigilance against presence of suspicious boats;
- Enforcement agencies are requested to enhance patrol and surveillance in areas of concern and make quick response to all incidents;
- ReCAAP ISC maintains its advisory issued via its Incident Alert on 21 Nov 16, advising all ships to re-route from the area, where possible.
Finally, the increase in incidents on board ships at ports and anchorages in Chittagong, Bangladesh and off Samarinda in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, is also concerning.
Of concern is also the increase in incidents on board ships while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) during January-September 2018 compared to the same period in 2017.
