In January 2021, seven incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. No piracy incident was reported.

In a major development, 3 Lebanese seafarers kidnapped by Nigerian Pirates in late November have been released, announced the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday.

The history of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea dates back decades, but it is only in the past few years that the criminal model has taken a more sophisticated and violent turn.

ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre released the monthly report for July 2020 on the situation of piracy and sea robbery in Asia.

While the onset of pandemic has disrupted life for many seafarers who either stranded at sea with extended tenure or awaiting a new job opportunity to return to the sea, the maritime sector has surprisingly stayed active throughout the pandemic.

Reference the warning disseminated by the ReCAAP ISC on 22 May 2020 (Warning 01-2020) about a group of five Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members planning to conduct kidnapping activities in undisclosed areas in Sabah, Malaysia.

ReCAAP ISC is also concerned about the continued occurrence of incidents onboard ships while underway in the Singapore Strait; three incidents were reported in May 2020

A total of nine incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia in April 2020. Of the nine incidents, one was a piracy incident and eight were incidents of armed robbery against ships.