Latest news with #antipiracy
Malay Mail
10-07-2025
- Malay Mail
Piracy surges 83pc in Asian waters, with most attacks in Straits of Malacca and Singapore
SINGAPORE, July 10 — There were 95 piracy and armed robberies against ships in Asia from January to June this year, an 83 per cent 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 per cent 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 per cent 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. — Reuters
Al Arabiya
10-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Ship piracy, robberies on the rise in Southeast Asia
There were 95 piracy and armed robberies against ships in Asia from January to June this year, an 83 percent 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 percent of the time. Nine in 10 incidents happened after dark, said the information center 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 percent 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 center said. 'In most incidents, the criminals boarded ships that were ill-prepared, had low freeboard, and maneuvered at slow speed in restricted areas of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore,' the ReCAAP center said, referring to narrow parts of the straits where there is congestion and less space to maneuver. 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 unauthorized boarding,' Chafekar said.
