ReCAAP ISC Piracy and Robbery At Sea in Asia 1st Quarter Report 2021
IN MAY 2021, ReCAAP ISC reported four incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. No piracy incident was reported. Of the four incidents, three were actual incidents and one was an attempted incident.
The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait. In May 2021, three incidents were reported in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.
There was no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah in May 2021. However, the threat of abduction of crew remains high, with information such as the operation on 3 Nov 20 by the Philippine authorities in preventing a kidnap-for-ransom plan by the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and the escape of one of the ASG Commanders responsible for the abduction of crew in Sulu area during a military operation on 23 Apr 21.
STATUS OF SHIPS
Of the four incidents reported in May 2021, three incidents occurred on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait and one incident on board a ship while underway off Diu, India.
SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF INCIDENTS
Of the three actual incidents reported in May 2021, one was a CAT 3 incident and two were CAT 4 incidents (where the perpetrators were not armed and crew not harmed).
The CAT 3 incident occurred on board a bulk carrier while underway in the Singapore Strait. Four perpetrators boarded the ship and were sighted in the engine room by the duty oiler. One of the perpetrators threatened the duty oiler with a knife but did not harm him. The perpetrators escaped without stealing anything.
Of the two CAT 4 incidents, one incident occurred on board a bulk carrier while underway in the Singapore Strait and the other incident occurred on board a dead ship towed by a tug boat while underway off Diu, India. In the incident in the Singapore Strait, engine gaskets and O-rings were stolen. For the incident off India, the exact items stolen from the dead ship are not confirmed yet.
JANUARY-MAY 2021
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS
During January-May 2021, 28 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. Of these incidents, 26 were actual incidents and two were attempted incidents. No piracy incident was reported. Compared to January-May 2020, the total number of incidents during January-May 2021 decreased by 45%. A total of 51 incidents (50 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported during January-May 2020.
SITUATION OF ARMED ROBBERY AGAINST SHIPS IN THE SINGAPORE STRAIT
MAY 2021
In May 2021, three incidents (comprising two actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait. The two actual incidents occurred while the ships were underway off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia; and the attempted incident occurred while the ship was underway off Pulau Nongsa, Batam Island, Indonesia. In the two actual incidents, the perpetrators were sighted either in the engine room or in its vicinity.
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 three incidents reported in May 2021, the two actual incidents occurred within an interval of 2.5 hours on 23 and 24 May.
JANUARY-MAY 2021
With the three incidents reported in May 2021, a total of 15 incidents (14 actual incidents and one attempted incident) were reported in the Singapore Strait during January-May 2021. This accounts for more than half of the total number of incidents reported in Asia during January-May 2021 (28 incidents).
Since January 2021, the ReCAAP ISC had issued three Incident Alerts to alert the shipping community of the recurring incidents in the Singapore Strait, particularly off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia.
CONCLUSION
The number of incidents reported during January-May 2021 has decreased compared to January-May 2020. This was due to the decrease of incidents in several locations in Asia. However, of concern is the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait and the persisting threat of abduction of crew by the ASG in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah.
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Source: ReCAAP ISC