The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) has warned the international maritime community of the continued occurrence of incidents of robbery aboard ships transiting in the Singapore Strait (SS).
The ISC cautioned in an alert on Tuesday that it was concerned there could be further incidents following a spike in robberies between 1 January and 3 February 2025.
“A total of 11 incidents of sea robbery occurred onboard ships while under way in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the SS,” the ISC said.
It said that among the 11 incidents, there were reports of some that had occurred within a short interval – two each in the early morning of 26 January and 3 February, and two on the night of 28-29 January.
They took place close to each other off Pulau Cula and Helen Mar Reef, on ships that were transiting the Phillip Channel.
The ISC said engine spares had been stolen in seven incidents, and nothing was stolen in four incidents. Of the 11 that were reported, four incidents involved perpetrators carrying guns or gun-like objects, five involved perpetrators carrying knives and no information was available for the other two incidents.
“The crew members were not injured, except for one incident where the Chief Engineer's hands were tied.”
The ISC said it was concerned about the increase in the number of incidents in region, which had almost tripled compared with the same period in 2024 where four were reported.
“The centre urges the littoral states to increase patrols/surveillance in their respective waters, respond promptly to incidents reported by ships, strengthen coordination and promote information sharing on incidents and criminal groups involved to arrest the perpetrators,” the ISC said.
“Ships are advised to intensify vigilance and maintain sharp look-out while transiting the areas of concern, particularly during hours of darkness, adopt preventive measures recommended in the Regional Guide 2 to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, and report all incidents immediately using the ReCAAP ISC Mobile App to the nearest coastal state and flag state.”
