Piracy & Armed Robbery Against Ships Increased in Asia in 2014, ReCAAP Annual Report
In the latest annual report for 2014 by ReCAAP ISC, it is stated that there has been an increase in the number of piracy and armed robbery against ships incidents in Asia in 2014 compared to the past four years (2010-2013).
A total of 183 incidents comprising 168 actual incidents and 15 attempted incidents were reported. On a year-on-year comparison, this represents an increase of 22% in the total number of incidents in 2014 compared to 2013. Of the 183 incidents, 13 (7%) were Category 1 (very significant) incidents, 41 (23%) were Category 2 (moderately significant) incidents and 114 (62%) were Category 3 (less significant) and petty theft (minimum significant) incidents. Of the 13 Category 1 incidents, 11 incidents were siphoning of ship fuel/oil by perpetrators who boarded the ship to siphon the ship manifest of fuel/oil.
Most of these incidents were Category 1 in nature because the perpetrators were armed with guns and knives; involved larger group of men who took control of the ship; threatened, tied and locked the crew in the cabin; siphoned the fuel/oil onboard the ship to another tanker/barge that came alongside; and before escaping, destroyed the ship’s communication and navigational equipment and took the crew’s cash and personal belongings.
In 2014, there has also been an increase in number of incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) and the South China Sea (SCS). Most were Category 3 and petty theft incidents occurred onboard ships while underway in SOMS and onboard ships while anchored/berthed in the SCS. These incidents involved perpetrators who were opportunistic in nature, did not harm or treat the crew with violence; and entailed little or no economic loss as the perpetrators escaped immediately when the crew was alerted. Incidents resulted in the perpetrators escaped empty-handed occurred in 55% of the incidents in SOMS and 65% of incidents in the SCS.
In light of the development of the situation in Asia in 2014, more need to be done collectively by the shipping community and governmental agencies in building trust and confidence in timely reporting, information sharing and operational responses. As vessels need to return to shore, the counter-measures also need to be managed from the landward side, to which due attention needs to be channelled to the entities concerned from the shore end.
Category 1
All 13 Category 1 incidents were siphoning of ship fuel/oil cases, of which 11 were successful siphoning incidents and two were not successfully carried out (Ji Xiang and VP Asphalt 2). In the case of Ji Xiang, 10 perpetrators armed with guns and knives boarded the Mongolia-registered product tanker off Pulau Lima, Malaysia on 25 Jul. Believed to target the fuel/oil onboard, the perpetrators’ intention was foiled by the presence of a Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) patrol boat which arrived at the locaon and pursued the perpetrators who fled. In their haste to escape from the authorities, the perpetrators left behind two pistols and one machete onboard Ji Xiang. A crew was reported to have had suffered a neck injury.
Category 2
A total of 41 Category 2 incidents were reported in 2014, of which 23 incidents occurred onboard ships while at anchor/berth and 18 onboard ships while underway. Of the 23 Category 2 incidents onboard ships anchored/ berthed, 13 occurred at ports and anchorages in Indonesia (Belawan, Dumai, Samarinda, off Pulau Bintan, Tg Priok), eight in Bangladesh (Chittagong and off Pulau Kutubdia), one in Malaysia and one in the Philippines. The ReCAAP ISC encourages enhanced port security measures and implementation of the ISPS code at these locations. More details are featured in Part Three of the report.
Category 3 and Petty Theft
A total of 114 Category 3 incidents and petty thefts were reported in 2014. Of these, two-thirds occurred onboard ships at ports and anchorages; namely in Indonesia (26), SCS (22), India (11), Bangladesh (6), Vietnam (6), Philippines (4) and Malaysia (2); and one-third occurred onboard ships while underway in the SOMS (32), SCS (3) and Bay of Bengal (2).
Treatment of Crew
Of the 168 actual incidents reported in 2014, 43 incidents (26%) reported some form of physical harm or injury sustained by the crew. Amongst these were two incidents involving crew being abandoned onto life rafts (incident involving tug boat, Manyplus 12 on 9 Jun and product tanker, Srikandi 515 on 9 Oct). In both incidents, the crew was rescued by passing fishing boats. An incident of serious injury occurred onboard general cargo ship, Harbour Hornbill on 9 Jul when the master suffered head injuries, and had recovered after treatment. There were two incidents reported missing crew; product tanker, Naniwa Maru No. 1 and tug boat, Ever Alpha on 22 Apr and 17 Nov respectively. In the incident involving Naniwa Maru No. 1, the crew comprising the Master, Chief Officer and Chief Engineer had reportedly ‘left’ the tanker with the perpetrators, bringing along with them their travel documents and personal belongings. In the incident onboard Ever Alpha, a crew was reported missing after he was pushed overboard into the water by the perpetrators before they escaped. A first incident of death of a crew since 2009 was reported on 7 Dec onboard VP Asphalt, when the Third Engineer succumbed to his injuries.
Recommendations
The ReCAAP ISC notes that there is a dire need to strengthen national coordination among the littoral States through their respective enforcement agencies to curb illegal siphoning activities in this region. In response, more need to be done by the littoral States such as enhancing existing joint coordinated patrols by the littoral States (which is currently ongoing in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore) to other parts in the region to maintain presence and serve as deterrence to potential perpetrators.
Download Full Annual Report [PDF]
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