Reports finds 43% rise in incidents in Singapore Strait

THE ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre has issued a special report to alert the shipping industry and law enforcement agencies on the current situation of concern in the Singapore Strait. It provide insight into the incidents, the modus operandi of the perpetrators and recommendations to the shipping industry and authorities of littoral states.

Since 2019 through 2020, there was a sharp increase in the number of incidents of robbery and theft against ships while underway in the Singapore Strait, compared to the period of 2016-2018. In 2019, 31 incidents were reported, and 33 incidents were reported in 2020 as of 20 November.

The number of incidents during January-November 2020 accounts for an increase of 43% compared to January-November 2019 (23 incidents).

Although the majority of the 33 incidents reported during January-November 2020 were at a low level of severity [CAT 4 incidents where the perpetrators were not armed and the crew not harmed], the ReCAAP ISC is seriously concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the SS.

“In some incidents, perpetrators were persistent in committing crime by boarding two ships in a row within a short interval and in close proximity,” the report states.

“Without the arrest of perpetrators, incidents are likely to continue to occur. We remind that the incidents in SS decreased significantly from 99 incidents in 2015 to two incidents in 2016, thanks to the arrests of perpetrators by the authorities.

“This demonstrates that law enforcement is the best deterrence,” the report states.

In 2020, there was one report of the arrest of perpetrators in March but no further arrest was reported since then.

The ReCAAP ISC advises ship master and crew to exercise enhanced vigilance and immediately report all incidents and presence of suspicious small boats in the vicinity, to the nearest coastal state.

“The littoral states are urged to increase the patrol and enforcement in their respective waters as well as to strengthen cooperation and coordination among the littoral States for patrols and sharing information on the latest situation and criminal groups involved, in order to arrest perpetrators,” the report states.