Half-Yearly Report for January to June 2026, detailing trends and incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships (ARAS) in Asia. The report highlights a significant increase in the total number of incidents compared to the previous year, with particular attention drawn to the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) as an area of concern.
For the first half of 2026 (January to June), there were 35 reported incidents of Armed Robbery Against Ships (ARAS) in Asia, making it a 64% decrease compared to the 96 incidents reported during the same period in 2025.
Overall, the ARAS situation improved across several areas previously affected — including Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), the South China Sea and Vietnam. In the Philippines, 10 incidents were reported from January to June 2026, up from no incident during the same period last year. In response, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) successfully arrested several perpetrators to combat the threat. The Philippine law enforcement agency for its proactive stance and swift actions.
SOMS remains an area of concern. During January-June 2026, 21 incidents were reported, making up 60% of the total number of incidents in Asia. On 19 March 2026, an Incident Alert to alert the shipping community, calling for ship crew to be extra vigilant and keeping a sharp look-out when transiting SOMS. Also, it called for the law enforcement agencies to step up surveillance and enforcement efforts in order to aid the arrests of the culprits.
Where the Sulu-Celebes Seas is concerned, there has been no incident reported during January June 2026. The threat of abduction of crew in this region has been downgraded to “LOW” meaning that ‘No information or monitored activities suggest an impending attack; hence incidents are not expected to occur’. However, an adviser to ships, when transiting the Sulu-Celebes Seas, to “continue to exercise vigilance, maintain communication with the relevant authorities and report all incidents to the Operation Centres of the Philippines and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSOM)’.
In an ever-evolving global landscape that is increasingly uncertain, the shipping industry through various events and platforms to better understand the evolving challenges faced by the shipping community and to understand the areas of concern. The Centre also aims to provide various product offerings and resources to keep the shipping industry abreast of the latest trends and best practices to prevent piracy and ARAS in Asia.