ReCAAP ISC Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia - January 2016 Report
A TOTAL of nine actual incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in January 2016. No piracy incident was reported. The number of incidents in January 2016 has shown a slight increase compared to November and December 2015; but compared to January 2015, there has been a decrease.
SIGNIFICANCE LEVEL OF INCIDENTS
Of the nine incidents reported in January 2016, two were Category 2 incidents, two were Category 3 incidents and five were Category 4 incidents.
Incidents occurred in January 2016 were relatively less severe compared to incidents reported in January 2015. There was no Category 1 incident reported in January 2016 compared to two Category 1 incidents reported in January 2015. Chart 1 shows the significance level of incidents reported during January of 2012-2016. Incidents involving hijacking of tankers for the of oil cargo did not occur in January 2016, continuously since September 2015 (See ctegory definitions in Full Report).
LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF INCIDENTS
All nine incidents reported in January 2016 occurred at ports and anchorages.
SITUATION AT PORTS AND ANCHORAGES IN INDIA
Of the six incidents reported in India, five occurred on board ships anchored in the Gulf of Kutch, Kandla, and one on board ships anchored in Visakhapatnam, eastern part of India. In the incident involving Shebelle, the master reported the incident to the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) who immediately deployed a patrol ship to the location of the incident.
INVESTIGATION OUTCOME BY THE ICG
Investigations carried out by the ICG, which is also the ReCAAP Focal Point, revealed the following:
- In two of the six incidents, the advisory issued by the port authority/coastal security agency in adopting appropriate precautionary measures were generally neglected.
- In one of the incidents, the master claimed ignorance of the procedures that need to follow, and did not report the incident to the relevant authorities.
- In two incidents, the master only reported the incident to the relevant authorities some time after the incident (nine hours and two days respectively).
CONCLUSION
The situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia has improved since August 2015. Notably, for a consecutive three months since November 2015, there has been no actual incident reported on board ships while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS); and also no reported incident involving hijacking of tankers for the of oil cargo since September 2015. However, there is no room for complacency as more need to be done to enhance port security at certain ports and anchorages.
Download Full Report here.
Additionally, Download the Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery At Sea Against Ships in Asia
Original Source: ReCAAP ISC
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