Piracy incidents spike around Singapore in 2019: ReCAAP

From S&P Global (Jan 16, 2020): Piracy incidents spike around Singapore in 2019: ReCAAP (By Sameer Mohindru)

HIGHLIGHTS

Singapore Straits comprise 38% of east Asia piracy incidents in 2019

Singapore Straits piracy, sea robbery incidents rises over four fold


Singapore — There has been an 8% increase in sea robbery and piracy related incidents across Asia in 2019, particularly focused around the Straits of Singapore, and perennial danger also lingers over abduction of crew in the Sulu Sea-Celebes Sea region, anti-piracy watchdog ReCAAP said late Wednesday.

The actual incidents, excluding the attempted, increased 15% year on year in 2019 to 71, while in Singapore Straits alone there was an over four-fold increase, ReCAAP said.

ReCAAP is the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.

A total of 31 incidents, or almost 38% of total incidents in the region, occurred in the Straits of Singapore, up from seven in 2018, said Masafumi Kuroki, ReCAAP's executive director, while releasing the watchdog's annual report.

"ReCAAP is concerned over the increase in incidents in the Singapore Straits and recommends that law enforcement agencies of the littoral States to enhance surveillance, increase patrols and respond promptly," Kuroki said.

These agencies should strengthen joint coordinated patrols, share information on the movement of suspicious boats and the criminal groups involved in order to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators, he said.

The annual report of London-based International Maritime Bureau, or IMB, has also shown a four fold increase in such incidents around the Singapore Straits. "There is a sudden rise in the attacks, specially during the night," the IMB report said.

The shipping industry and ships should step up vigilance and lookout for suspicious small boats, adopt extra precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal state, Kuroki added.

Significantly, there were no piracy or theft-related incidents in the neighboring Straits of Malacca last year.

While such incidents have decreased around Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines, there is a spike around Singapore Straits and Malaysia's Bandar Penawar in Johor province, ReCAAP data showed.

Singapore is located along one of the world's busiest waterways, with close to 1,000 ships anchored there at any given time. A ship calls at Singapore port every two to three minutes, bringing the total to around 130,000 ships a year and making it critical for maritime passage in the region to be piracy-free.

Interestingly, according to ReCAAP's statistics that are primarily focused on east Asia, piracy and sea robberies in the region have rebounded after hitting their lowest in more than a decade in 2018.

Naval experts said piracy is trying to revive at a time when geopolitical tensions have increased due to the US-Iran hostilities.
Sulu-Celebes Sea

Kuroki also expressed concern over last year's abduction of crew members from fishing boats near Sabah, Malaysia, by perpetrators believed to be the members of the Abu Sayyaf group. One of the abducted crew members is still in captivity.

"Despite the decrease in incidents, threat of abduction of crew still remains," Kuroki said in reference to the Sulu-Celebes Seas.

He said ReCAAP is maintaining its advisory for ships to avoid the Sulu-Celebes Seas region and reroute from the area, wherever possible.

Ships passing through the region must exercise extra vigilance and maintain communication at all times with the maritime authorities of the Philippines and Malaysia, he said.

Since March 2016, 78 crew members have been abducted in the region, of which 10 either died or were killed, while the rest except one were released or rescued.

From industrial raw material, such as coal to essential food items like rice, to commodities worth billions of dollars move on commercial ships near the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea, industry estimates showed.

[Established in 2006, ReCAAP is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. It has 20 member countries, including all members of ASEAN except Malaysia and Indonesia, with France and Germany expected to join ReCAAP in future.]

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