Over the past week, 23-30 September, three incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (one CAT 3 incident and two CAT 4 incidents).
The two CAT 4 incidents occurred on board tankers while at anchor in the anchorages of Malaysia and Philippines. The CAT 3 incident occurred onboard a tanker while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS). One crew was tied up in one of the incidents, but the crew members were not injured in all three incidents. Ship stores and engine spares were stolen in two incidents and nothing was stolen in one incident.
Area of concern
With the new incident reported in SS, a total of 97 incidents were reported in SOMS since January 2025. The ships shall to exercise enhanced vigilance when transiting SOMS 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
For a 5th consecutive year, there has been no report of incident of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah. The last incident occurred on 17 Jan 2020. In January 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), coordinated with other stakeholders and counterparts, further downgraded the threat level of “Abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas” to “LOW,” meaning “No information or monitored activities suggest an impending attack; hence incidents are not expected to occur.”
Its advisory on 14 Feb 2025, advised ships to “exercise vigilance when transiting the Sulu-Celebes Seas and report incidents to the Operation Centres of the Philippines and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM).
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 of Incidents of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. They should exercise vigilance and adopt appropriate preventive measures, taking reference from the Regional Guide 2 to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia.