Latest news with #RegionalCooperationAgreementonCombatingPiracyandArmedRobberyagainstShipsinAsia
Borneo Post
06-08-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Sarawak to reform maritime laws, strengthen regional anti-piracy measures, says minister
Henry (seated centre) in a group photo with participants during the Anti-Piracy Forum 2025. SIBU (Aug 6): The Sarawak government is taking steps to review and reform its maritime laws to better protect local shipping interests and strengthen regional anti-piracy efforts, said state Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin. Delivering his remarks through his deputy minister Dato Henry Harry Jinep at the Anti-Piracy Forum 2025 here today, Lee emphasised that maritime threats remain transnational and require integrated responses. 'Maritime transport is the backbone of Sarawak's coastal and riverine economy. Ensuring the safety of our shipping lanes is vital for connecting rural communities and supporting economic growth,' he said. Lee revealed that his ministry is currently in the initial stage of reviewing the Merchant Shipping Ordinance 1960 (Sarawak) to ensure it remains relevant and aligned with current shipping developments. He also noted that Sarawak has been appointed to the Maritime Law Review and Reform Committee (MLRRC), a body endorsed by the Federal Cabinet, allowing the state to ensure its interests are represented in the nationwide maritime legal reform. While Sarawak waters remain free from piracy, Lee cautioned that opportunistic sea robberies have been reported in regional waters, particularly in busy straits and international zones where enforcement is limited. 'Piracy is not a problem any single nation can solve alone. I urge authorities, shipping operators, and regional partners to collaborate through vigilance, real-time reporting, and joint patrols,' he said. The forum, co-organised by the Sabah and Sarawak Shipowners Association (SSSA) and the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), serves as a platform for intelligence sharing, fostering partnerships, and strengthening maritime safety measures. Lee also called on federal and state enforcement agencies to enhance surveillance along Sarawak's coastal waters to safeguard seafarers, shipping companies, and local maritime trade routes. 'Together, through innovation, intelligence, and integration, we can push piracy further into the past and ensure our maritime domain remains a space of peace and prosperity.' The forum brought together shipowners, enforcement agencies, and international partners to discuss strategies aimed at securing sea lanes and protecting the lives of seafarers navigating regional waters. anti-piracy Lee Kim Shin maritime laws reform
The Star
06-08-2025
- The Star
Anti-piracy watchdog logs 94 robberies on ships in Straits of Malacca and Singapore as of July 2025
SIBU: A total of 94 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in the first seven months of this year. "According to the latest data from ReCAAP ISC (Information Sharing Centre), there were 111 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia between January and July 2025. 'Of these, 94 incidents occurred in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS area), making up 85% of the total number of incidents in Asia," said ReCAAP ISC assistant director Kwon Soon Tae at the Anti-Piracy Forum 2025 here on Wednesday (August 6). The forum was jointly organised by the Sarawak and Sabah Shipowners Association (SSSA) and ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia). Kwon highlighted that most of these incidents involved large vessels. 'We are seeing more cases of unauthorised boarding of barges towed by tugboats, mainly to steal scrap metal." "From January to July this year, seven incidents involving tugs and barges were reported in the SOMS area, compared to four cases during the same period in 2024," he said. Explaining the ReCAAP, Kwon said that it is the first and only regional government-to-government agreement focused on combating piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. "The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre's mandate is to combat piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia. We conduct our activities through three main pillars: information sharing, capacity building, and cooperative arrangements. "We regularly engage partners like SSSA, other shipping associations, and governmental agencies. By working together, we aim to reach out to shipowners, masters and crew, and law enforcement agencies to find ways to prevent sea robbery and related crimes," he said. Meanwhile, state Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Harry Jinep told reporters that no incidents of piracy or robbery had been reported on rivers in Sarawak. "Our rivers are safe. We don't have piracy or robbery," he said.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Yahoo
Ship piracy, robberies rise 83% in Southeast Asia in Jan-June, anti-piracy group says
SINGAPORE (Reuters) -There were 95 piracy and armed robberies against ships in Asia from January to June this year, an 83% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Information Sharing Centre of intergovernmental anti-piracy group ReCAAP. Most of the incidents occurred in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which the watchdog flagged as an area of concern. There were 80 incidents in these waters over the period, compared to 21 in the first half of 2024. Most incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore were not severe, with no ship crew injured 90% of the time. Nine in 10 incidents happened after dark, said the information centre for ReCAAP, which stands for the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. The group said there was no evidence to suggest that ships of a particular flag were being targeted, and that incidents tended to occur on ships that were slow moving and had crew who were less vigilant. "Perpetrators take grave risk to their lives during attacks on the ships to steal low value items. This indicates that socioeconomic conditions are driving the perpetrators to commit crimes," said the anti-piracy group. In half of the 80 cases in the two Southeast Asian waterways, nothing was stolen, while in 29% of the incidents, the attackers took engine spares. About half of the attacks in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore were on bulk carriers and a quarter on tankers, the information centre said. "In most incidents, the criminals boarded ships that were ill-prepared, had low freeboard, and manoeuvred at slow speed in restricted areas of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore," the ReCAAP centre said, referring to narrow parts of the straits where there is congestion and less space to manoeuvre. Authorities in the region should increase their presence in places where piracy and armed robberies repeatedly occur while crews need to be more vigilant, said Vijay D Chafekar, executive director of ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre. "Shipmasters transiting the areas of concern need to increase watchkeeping on deck during hours of darkness and install preventive measures to deter unauthorised boarding," Chafekar said.
GMA Network
10-07-2025
- GMA Network
Ship piracy, robberies rise 83% in Asia from Jan-Jun, anti-piracy group says
SINGAPORE - There were 95 piracy and armed robberies against ships in Asia from January to June this year, an 83% increase compared to the same period last year, according to data from the Information Sharing Centre of intergovernmental anti-piracy group ReCAAP. Most of the incidents occurred in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, which the watchdog flagged as an area of concern. There were 80 incidents in these waters over the period, compared to 21 in the first half of 2024. Most incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore were not severe, with no ship crew injured 90% of the time. Nine in ten incidents happened after dark, said the information centre for ReCAAP, which stands for the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. In half of the 80 cases in the two Southeast Asian straits, nothing was stolen, while in 29% of the incidents, the attackers took engine spares. About half of the attacks in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore were on bulk carriers and a quarter on tankers, the information centre said. "In most incidents, the criminals boarded ships that were ill-prepared, had low freeboard, and manoeuvred at slow speed in restricted areas of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore," the ReCAAP centre said. Authorities in the region should increase their presence in places where piracy and armed robberies repeatedly occur to arrest the culprits, said Vijay D Chafekar, executive director of ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre. "Shipmasters transiting the areas of concern need to increase watchkeeping on deck during hours of darkness and install preventive measures to deter unauthorised boarding," Chafekar said. — Reuters
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
4 times more piracy, armed robbery cases in straits of Malacca and Singapore in first half of 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox There were 80 piracy and armed robbery cases in the straits of Malacca and Singapore reported between January and June 2025. SINGAPORE - There were about four times more piracy and armed robbery cases in the straits of Malacca and Singapore in first half of 2025, compared with the same period in the previous year. There were 80 such incidents reported between January and June 2025 to the anti-piracy group, ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC). There were 21 incidents reported in the same period in 2024, it said in a press release on July 10. In Asia as a whole, there was an 83 per cent rise in such incidents, with 95 being reported between January and June 2025, compared with 52 incidents reported in 2024. ReCAAP, or Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, entered into force in 2006. While the numbers in Asia have gone up, the incidents are of lower severity compared with those that occur in other parts of the world, said ReCAAP ISC's executive director Vijay D Chafekar at a media briefing in York Hotel Singapore on July 10. He noted there has not been a serious piracy case in the high seas in Asia in the last four to five years, and that other parts of the world, like the Gulf of Guinea, experience crimes like the kidnapping of crew for ransom. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Business S'pore to launch new grant for companies, expand support for workers amid US tariff uncertainties Singapore PAP appoints new heads of backbench parliamentary committees Singapore Singaporean fugitive charged over alleged drug trafficking, faces death penalty if convicted Singapore KTPH trials 'smart diapers' for adult patients to help prevent skin conditions, relieve burden on nurses World 'Do some homework': 6 key exchanges between US Senator Duckworth and S'pore envoy nominee Sinha Sport No pain, no gain for Singapore's water polo teams at the world championships Singapore New regional centre for sustainable aviation in Asia-Pacific launched in Singapore Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Said Mr Chafekar: 'What we see is that while most of the Asian waters have become safe, the concerns are localised in a very small area of the straits of Malacca and Singapore. 'In most cases, the crew is not harmed. The intention is not to harm the crew, but to (commit) petty thefts.' 'It does not mean that it is not a concern. It is still a concern. A knife-wielding person on board (will cause) a huge psychological impact on the crew of the ship,' he added. According to ReCAAP ISC's half-yearly report, none of the 80 incidents reported in the straits of Malacca and Singapore were classified as Category 1 incidents. Incidents in this category are described as very significant and defined to be those where the perpetrators are mostly armed with guns or knives, and where the crew is likely to have been subjected to physical violence or have suffered some form of injury. There were seven 'moderately significant' incidents classified under Category 2, where the perpetrators carried gun-like objects and knives. Six of these incidents occurred on board bulk carriers and one occurred onboard a container ship. In one incident, a crew member suffered a minor head injury, but no medical assistance was required. In four of them , the perpetrators restrained crew members. Of the seven Category 2 incidents, four involved items stolen from the crew and ship, including a mobile phone, gold necklace, engine spares and generator spares. The rest of the 80 incidents in the first half of 2025 were deemed to be less or least significant, or were situations where the perpetrators tried and failed to board the ship. On July 10, ReCAAP ISC held a dialogue with representatives from the shipping industry to discuss the latest situation of armed robbery against ships in the straits of Malacca and Singapore. Shipping companies suggested that ships at sea should have the practice of looking out for one another, ReCAAP ISC deputy director Lee Yin Mui told the media. A positive example of such a practice was shared during the dialogue: A ship informed the vessel ahead of it that a few small boats were spotted in the vicinity approaching it. Singapore's Vessel Traffic Information System was also activated and allowed other ships in the vicinity to be informed of the presence of those small boats. 'That prevented an unauthorised boarding,' said Ms Lee. 'This is one of the good measures that has been taken by the shipping industry, to look out for on another and also to report sighting of small boats in the area, especially during hours of darkness. 'These small boats... they are really not easily visible during late, dark hours, and before you know it, (the perpetrators) have already boarded the ship.'
