64 Incidents Of Piracy And Sea Robberies Reported In Asia From January To September 2018
A total of 64 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships (comprising 50 actual incidents and 14 attempted incidents) reported in Asia during January-September 2018. Of the 64 incidents, three were incidents of piracy and 61 were incidents of armed robbery against ships. Compared to January-September 2017, there was a 3% increase in the total number of incidents reported during January-September 2018. The number of actual incidents reported during January-September 2018 was the lowest among the 10-year period of January-September of 2009-2018. Of the 50 actual incidents reported during January-September 2018, one was a CAT 1 incident, five were CAT 2 incidents, 10 were CAT 3 incidents and 34 were CAT 4 incidents.
Sulu-Celebes Seas
- Concerning the abduction of the crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah, two incidents (comprising one actual incident and one attempted incident) were reported during January-September 2018 compared to seven incidents (comprising three actual incidents and four attempted incidents) reported during the same period in 2017
- Although the number of incidents has decreased, there remains the imminent threat of abduction of a crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah, as demonstrated by the latest incident of abduction of two fishermen from a fishing boat (Sri Dewi 1) on 11 Sep 18 in waters off Eastern Sabah
- Ships are strongly advised to enhance vigilance against the presence of suspicious boats
- Enforcement agencies are requested to enhance patrol and surveillance in areas of concern and make a quick response to all incidents
- ReCAAP ISC maintains its advisory issued via its Incident Alert on 21 Nov 16, advising all ships to re-route from the area, where possible
Other Areas of Concern
- Of concern is the increase in incidents on board ships at ports and anchorages in Chittagong, Bangladesh and off Samarinda in East Kalimantan, Indonesia; as well as onboard ships while underway in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) during January-September 2018 compared to the same period in 2017
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