The European Union Naval Force (Eunavor) has warned that it is investigating suspected piracy groups from Somalia and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP ISC) has reported three new incidents in the Singapore Strait last week.
This comes after the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported earlier this month that crimes against seafarers had reached a 30-year low during the first nine months of 2024. The IMB highlighted progress in all regions across the globe, including the Indian Ocean and Singapore Strait, while warning that crew safety was still a risk.
Eunavor’s Operation Atalanta issued a warning last week that piracy groups had been spotted sailing out to sea from Somalia. The naval force reported that there were possibly two groups with a total of 13 armed men who had set out to sea late on October 22.
Piracy attacks on vessels initially rose in November 2023 after the number of ships diverting their routes around Africa increased due to the attacks in the Red Sea region. Pirates hijacked a bulker and boarded other vessels before the Indian Navy intervened to stop several incidents. They also held one vessel’s crew to ransom until their demands were met.
The incidents declined after Eunavor and the Indian Navy’s intervention to prevent several attacks.
According to ReCAAP there have been 39 incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore since January 2024, with most occurring near the western side of the Singapore Strait.
There were three incidents reported off Indonesia in the Phillip Channel in the early hours of October 18. On the bulk carrier Nyon (35,500 dwt) five suspects with knives were spotted in the engine room. The alarm was raised but when the crew searched the ship no one was found and nothing was reported stolen.
Ten suspects were spotted in the engine room of the bulker Aspasia Luck (37,700 dwt). The crew searched the ship and found that spare engine parts had been stolen.
In the third incident, one suspect was seen in the engine room of the bulker Maran Spirit (93,000 dwt) but when the crew searched the vessel they did find further suspects. Nothing was reported stolen.
ReCAAP has called on local authorities in the region to increase patrols and surveillance and has advised vessels to be vigilant and maintain look-outs.
