A total of seven incidents of armed robbery occurred against ships in Asia in April 2021, according to ReCAAP ISC monthly report. There was no piracy incident. The report shows the number of incidents in January-April 2021 has decreased compared to January-April 2020, thanks to the decrease of incidents in several locations in Asia.
The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents onboard ships while underway in the Singapore Strait. In April 2021, five incidents were reported in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.
The ReCAAP ISC urges the law enforcement agencies in Asia to continue to enhance surveillance, increase patrols and respond promptly to report of incidents. Ships transiting the areas of concern are advised to enhance vigilance, maintain all-round lookout and report all incidents to the nearest coastal State and flag State,
…the report reads.
Key figures – April 2021
- In April 2021, seven incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. All incidents were actual incidents. No attempted incident was reported.
- Of the seven incidents reported in April 2021, five incidents occurred onboard ships while underway in the Singapore Strait, one incident onboard a ship while berthed at MOT Terminal, Sandakan, Sabah, East Malaysia and one incident onboard a ship while anchored in Manila Bay, the Philippines.
- Of the seven actual incidents reported in April 2021, one was a CAT 2 incident, one was a CAT 3 incident, and five were CAT 4 incidents (where the perpetrators were not armed and crew not harmed).
Jan- April 2021
-During January-April 2021, 24 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia.
-Of these incidents, 23 were actual incidents and one was an attempted incident.
-No piracy incident was reported.
-Compared to January-April 2020, the total number of incidents during January-April 2021 decreased by 38%. A total of 39 incidents (38 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported during January-April 2020.
-The decrease of incidents during January-April 2021 occurred in the following locations:
- In Bangladesh, no incident was reported during January-April 2021 compared to two incidents during January-April 2020.
- In India, one incident was reported during January-April 2021 compared to seven incidents during January-April 2020.
- In Indonesia, five incidents were reported during January-April 2021 compared to nine incidents during January-April 2020.
- In the Philippines, three incidents were reported during January-April 2021 compared to five incidents during January-April 2020. In the South China Sea, no incident was reported during January-April 2021 compared to one incident during January-April 2020.
- In the Sulu-Celebes Seas, no incident was reported during January-April 2021 compared to one incident during January-April 2020.
-However, there was an increase in the number of incidents in Vietnam during January-April 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. Two incidents were reported in Vietnam during January-April 2021 compared to one incident during January-April 2020.
-The number of incidents in the Singapore Strait during January-April 2021 is the same as that reported during January-April 2020. A total of 12 incidents were reported during each of these two periods.
-Of the 23 actual incidents reported in Asia during January-April 2021, one was a CAT 2 incident, seven were CAT 3 incidents and 15 were CAT 4 incidents.
Singapore Strait
- In April 2021, five incidents (all actual incidents) occurred on board ships while underway off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia in the Singapore Strait (SS).
- Of the five incidents, three incidents occurred onboard bulk carriers and two incidents occurred on board tankers.
- Notably, the three incidents that occurred to bulk carriers involved the same number of perpetrators (4 men) and the perpetrators were all sighted in the engine room. These incidents occurred on 8 Apr, 11 Apr, and 17 Apr.
- In particular, the ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the incidents that occurred within a short time interval and in close proximity to each other.
- Of the five incidents, two incidents occurred on 8 Apr 21 (within five hours) and two incidents on 17 Apr 21 (within four hours).
- With the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait, the ReCAAP ISC issued an Incident Alert on 23 April to alert the shipping community of the recurring incidents in the Singapore Strait, particularly off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia.
Recommendations
[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”]
Due to the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait, the ReCAAP ISC strongly urges the littoral States to increase patrols and law enforcement in their respective 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.
While transiting the Singapore Strait, ship masters and crew are strongly advised to enhance vigilance and proactively adopt the following measures:
- Maximize alertness of lookouts for suspicious small boats and increase watchkeeping on board ships; particularly 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 onboard the ship or barge; and
- Keep abreast of the latest situation (at www.recaap.org) and tune-in to advisories and navigational broadcasts announced by the authorities.
