Singapore: Eleven incidents of sea robbery occurred onboard ships in the Singapore Strait in the first 34 days of this year, a regional ship security agency said on Monday.
The incident happened between January 1 and February 3 as the ships sailed in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) of the Strait, said ReCAAP, the Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.
Among these 11 incidents, there were reports of incidents that occurred within a short interval – two incidents each in the early morning of Jan 26 and Feb 3, and two incidents on the intervening night of January 28-29, said the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) as it alerted the maritime community on the continued incidents of sea robbery onboard ships in the Singapore Strait.
All 11 incidents took place close to each other off Pulau (island) Cula and Helen Mar Reef, onboard ships while transiting the Phillip Channel.
Engine spares were stolen in seven incidents and nothing was stolen in four incidents, said the agency.
Of the 11 reported incidents, four incidents involved perpetrators with guns or gun-like objects, five incidents involved perpetrators with knives. Information about the other two incidents was not available, it added.
In one incident, a chief engineer’s hands were tied while crew were not injured in other incidents.
The ReCAAP ISC said it is concerned with the increase in the number of incidents in the Singapore Strait that almost tripled compared to the corresponding period of previous year (1 January – 3 February 2024), where four incidents were reported.
The Centre urges the littoral States to increase patrols/surveillance in their respective waters, respond promptly to incidents reported by ships, strengthen coordination and promote information sharing on incidents and criminal groups involved to arrest the perpetrators.
ReCAAP ISC advised ships to intensify vigilance and maintain sharp look-out while transiting the areas of concern, particularly during hours of darkness, and adopt preventive measures.
