Good Catch to avoid the costly consequences of unexpected allegations from port facilities by being vigilant and proactive.
The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported a total of 116 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships from January to December 2024. This is a slight decrease from 120 incidents in 2023 and a marginal increase from 115 incidents in 2022.
The 2024 report indicates that 94 vessels were boarded, there were 13 attempted attacks, six vessels were hijacked, and three were fired upon.
Over the past week, three incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia (two CAT 3 incidents and one CAT 4 incident).
All incidents occurred onboard ships while underway off Pulau Cula, Indonesia, in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Singapore Strait (SS). Of the three incidents, two occurred onboard bulk carriers on 22 Jan and 26 Jan 2025, and one occurred onboard a general cargo ship on 26 Jan 2025.
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) has reported multiple VHF radio challenges to vessels in the northern Arabian Gulf, potentially linked to an Iranian military exercise.