ReCAAP ISC Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia - August 2018 Report
ReCAAP ISC reports that a total of eight incidents of armed robbery against ships1 were reported in Asia in August 2018. No piracy incident was reported. There was also no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and no hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo reported in August 2018.
In August 2018, a total of eight incidents (comprising seven actual incidents and one attempted incident4) of armed robbery against ships were reported. All incidents have been verified and reported to the ReCAAP ISC by ReCAAP Focal Points, Contact Point and regional authorities. No piracy incident was reported during August 2018. Refer to the Appendix on pages 16-19 for the description of these incidents.
Compared to the preceding month of July 2018, the number of incidents reported in August 2018 has decreased slightly. A total of nine incidents were reported in July 2018 compared to eight incidents in August 2018. Graph 1 shows the number of incidents reported each month from August 2017 to August 2018.
STATUS OF SHIPS
Of the eight incidents reported in August 2018, six incidents occurred on board ships at anchor/berth and two incidents on board ships while underway.
JANUARY-AUGUST 2018
NUMBER OF INCIDENTS
A total of 57 incidents comprising of 45 actual incidents and 12 attempted incidents have been verified and reported to the ReCAAP ISC during January-August 2018. Of these, 54 were incidents of armed robbery against ships and three were piracy incidents.
Compared to January-August 2017, there was a 5% increase in the total number of incidents reported during January-August 2018. A total of 54 incidents comprising 46 actual and eight attempted incidents were reported during January-August 2017.
The increase in the total number of incidents during January-August 2018 was due to the larger number of attempted incidents compared to the same period in 2017. A total of 12 attempted incidents were reported during January-August 2018 compared to eight attempted incidents during the same period in 2017. The number of actual incidents remains fairly consistent during January-August of 2018 and 2017. A total of 45 actual incidents were reported during January- August 2018 compared to 46 incidents during the same period in 2017. Graph 2 shows the number of incidents reported during the 10-year reporting period of January-August.
INCREASE IN INCIDENTS AT ANCHORAGES OFF CHITTAGONG, BANGLADESH
There has been an increase in the number of incidents reported at anchorages off Chittagong, Bangladesh during January-August 2018.
A total of 11 incidents (comprising nine actual incidents and two attempted incidents) were reported during January-August 2018 compared to six incidents (all actual incidents) reported during the same period in 2017. Of the 11 incidents reported during January-August 2018, 10 incidents occurred at anchorages off Chittagong and one incident occurred at anchorage off Kutubdia Island. Map 2 shows the location of the 11 incidents during January-August 2018.
Items stolen Chittagong
Mooring ropes were stolen by perpetrators in seven of the nine incidents reported to ReCAAP ISC during January-August 2018. The other two incidents reported loss of drums of paint and unsecured items.
Recovery of stolen items and arrest of perpetrators
The Bangladesh authorities had successfully recovered the stolen items in five of the incidents reported during January-August 2018. However, there was no mention about the arrest of the perpetrators responsible except in the incident involving Bertina on 12 Apr 18, when the Bangladesh Coast Guard successfully apprehended three perpetrators and handed them over to the local police.
Recommendations
The ReCAAP ISC advises all ships anchored off Chittagong to secure all stores under lock, increase look-out during hours of darkness, and make immediate report of all incidents to the port authorities and law enforcement agencies. The Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies and port authorities are advised to step up patrols and implement security measures at ports/anchorages off Chittagong, render assistance to victim ships and arrest the perpetrators involved.
CONCLUSION
The total number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia during January-August 2018 has increased by 5% compared to the same period in 2017. The bulk of the increase was due to the larger number of attempted incidents reported during January-August 2018 compared to January- August 2017. This indicates that ship master/ crew and authorities had been successful in preventing boarding by perpetrators during January-August 2018.
A total of 57 incidents comprising 45 actual and 12 attempted incidents were reported during January-August 2018 compared to 54 incidents comprising 46 actual and eight attempted incidents reported during the same period in 2017. The number of actual incidents during January-August 2018 and that of January-August 2017 have remained fairly consistent. A total of 45 actual incidents were reported during January-August 2018 compared to 46 actual incidents reported during the same period in 2017.
There was no CAT 1 incident reported during January-August 2018, and the majority of incidents were CAT 4. However, of concern was the increase in number of incidents reported at anchorages off Chittagong, Bangladesh, mostly petty theft in nature.
Although there was no actual incident of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas nor hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo during January-August 2018, the threat of these incidents still remains.
Download full report HERE
Source: ReCAAP ISC
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