Over the past week, 30 December to 6 January, three incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (two CAT 4 incidents and one attempted incident) were reported.
The two CAT 4 incidents occurred onboard container ships while anchored at Vung Tau Anchorage, Vietnam, and at South Harbor Anchorage, Philippines. The attempted incident occurred to a petroleum/chemical tanker while anchored at Medan Anchorage, Indonesia. Details of the incidents are shown in table below:
Area of concern
An advice to the ships to continue to exercise enhanced vigilance when anchoring or transiting areas of concern, including the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, and the littoral states to increase patrols and enforcement in these areas.
Situation of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes seas and waters off Eastern Sabah: Re-assessment and downgrading of threat level
The efforts by the Philippine government in Zamboanga, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi through continuous military operations led to the dismantling of the support base and neutralizing the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) in the Sulu archipelago. Against this backdrop, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) coordinated with other stakeholders and counterparts involved in the maritime security of the Sulu-Celebes Seas, reviewed the threat situation, and recommended further downgrading the threat level of ‘Abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas’ from ‘Moderate’ to ‘Moderate Low,’ which implies that ‘Incidents are unlikely to occur due to perpetrators’ perceived lack of capability to orchestrate an attack. Nevertheless, minimal damages are expected to the vessel and crew in case of an attack.’
Update
With the downgrading of the threat on the ‘Abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas’ by the PCG, an updated advisory for ships to “exercise vigilance & adopt necessary preventive measures while transiting the area.”
For ships transiting the area, the ship masters and crew are strongly encouraged to exercise extra vigilance and report all incidents immediately to the Operation Centres of the Philippines and the Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) of Malaysia.
Recommendations
Ship master and crew are to report all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships to the nearest coastal state and flag state, referring to the poster on the contact details for reporting incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, exercise vigilance, and adopt appropriate preventive measures, referencing the Regional Guide 2 to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.
Armed pirates board bulker in the Singapore Strait
Four armed individuals with knives boarded a bulk carrier in 7 January while traveling through the Philip Channel in the Singapore Strait.
The incident occurred about 12 nautical miles northwest of Pulau Terung, Indonesia. This attack adds to a series of similar incidents in the area over the past few months. As reported, similar to previous attacks, the ship involved in the incident had a low freeboard.
Ambrey stated that crews navigating the Singapore Strait with freeboards lower than 10 meters that they face a higher risk of attack. Moreover, it is recommended to secure access to the accommodation and ship’s stores.
As of December 2024, was reported that a total of 62 incidents (61 incidents in SS and one incident in Malacca Strait) were reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) since January 2024.