A total of 107 criminal and potentially life-threatening incidents of maritime interference were reported in Asian waters in 2024, heralding a 7% increase.
Additionally, two life-threatening category 1 armed robberies were recorded in 2024. The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre indicated that such category 1 incidents occurred this year after a prolonged absence.
Container News correspondent Sharar Nayel writes that category 1 incidents were described as involving a large number of perpetrators, most of whom were armed with guns and knives. The crew was reported to have suffered injuries or been subjected to physical violence, such as assault, being tied up, or threats.
It was noted that losses in category 1 incidents often included the hijacking of the ship or the theft of cargo, such as the siphoning of cargo oil.
Data from ReCAAP ISC showed that in 2023, approximately 100 incidents took place, with no category 1 incidents reported during that year.
In 2024, Asian waters were described as significantly riskier for sailors, with the number of category 2 incidents rising to 16 from nine in the previous year and only four in 2022.
Most category 2 incidents reportedly involved groups of four to nine perpetrators, often armed with knives or machetes, and in about a quarter of cases, armed with guns. It was stated that the crew were likely to be threatened or temporarily held hostage, enabling the perpetrators to steal cash and ship’s property, including engine spares.
The first category 1 incident of 2024 in Asian waters was said to have occurred on 1 February. The incident involved a tugboat and barge in Indonesia, en route from Muara Sampit to Manggis, South Kalimantan. Reports indicated that the perpetrators, carrying firearms and sharp weapons, boarded the vessels from a ship named SPOB Bagas Danar Jaya 01.
The master and crew were reportedly held hostage for more than 27 hours, during which the perpetrators stole FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) cargo, cash, personal belongings, and ship’s goods. They also damaged navigation equipment before escaping.
The second category 1 incident was said to have occurred on 22 September 2024, also in Indonesia and involving a tugboat and barge. The vessels were reportedly en route from Bagendang Port to Stagen Kotabaru when five perpetrators in a small boat approached. Four of the perpetrators were said to have boarded the barge while one remained in the small boat.
The crew on board the barge were reportedly locked in a toilet. The perpetrators then allegedly moved to the tugboat, where they restrained and threatened the master and crew in the mess room, tying them up with plastic ropes. The perpetrators were reported to have siphoned FAME cargo on to a tanker, stolen 21 mobile phones, cash, and navigational equipment, including a Furuno radar and binoculars, and damaged communication and navigation tools before escaping. The incident was said to have lasted between eight and ten hours.
On 1 November 2024, it was reported that the Central Kalimantan Police had arrested 14 suspected perpetrators in connection with the incident.
As in the previous year, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore reportedly topped the list of locations with the highest number of incidents, with 62 recorded. Indonesia was said to be the second most affected area, with 22 incidents, up from 16 in 2023.
Bangladesh was highlighted as an emerging hotspot, with 13 incidents recorded in 2024 compared with only one the year before. Three incidents were reported in the Philippines, while Vietnam, India, and the South China Sea each had two incidents and Malaysia recorded only one.
