42 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia reported to ReCAAP ISC from January to June 2022

2022-07-21 10:24By： ReCAAP

42 incidents of armed robbery against ships in Asia reported to
ReCAAP ISC from January to June 2022

11 % increase of incidents compared to same period in 2021

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) has released its Half Yearly Report 2022 for the period of January to June. The key highlights of the report are as follows:

Overall situation

·No incident of piracy (occurred on high seas) was reported.

·A total of 42 incidents (comprising 40 actual and 2 attempted) of armed robbery against ships (occurred in internal waters, archipelagic waters and territorial seas) were reported in Asia during January to June 2022.

·This represents an 11% increase compared to 38 incidents reported during the same period in 2021.

·The severity level of the actual incidents are as follows:
One Category 2 incident (same as in 2021)
10 Category 3 incidents (same as in 2021)
29 Category 4 incidents (25 incidents during same period in 2021)

Increase of incidents

·Singapore Strait (SS) and Bangladesh Anchorages
27 incidents were reported in SS (20 incidents were reported during the period of January to June 2021). The SS remains an area of concern.
Three incidents were reported at Chattogram Anchorages, Bangladesh (no incident was reported during the same period in 2021).

Areas of improvement

·Anchorages in Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
No incidents were reported in Malaysia (one incident was reported during the same period in 2021).
Three incidents were reported in the Philippines (six incidents were reported for the same period in 2021).
No incidents were reported in Vietnam (two incidents were reported for the same period in 2021).

Situation in Sulu-Celebes Seas and Waters Off Eastern Sabah

·There was no incident of abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah since the last incident reported on 17 Jan 20. However, the threat of abduction of crew for ransom remains potentially high, particularly in the area of Sulu and nearby waters off Tawi-Tawi as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) commanders responsible for past incidents of abduction in Sulu are still at large and the presence of remnants of the group in the sea.

Today, ReCAAP ISC also conducted a Dialogue Session with representatives from the shipping industry to share with them the key highlights of the Half Yearly Report 2022. Amongst the issues discussed were sharing of concern regarding the increase of incidents in the SS, and views on how to address these incidents including the conduct by crew when transiting the areas of concern. The participants also agreed on the need for the shipping industry to continually review the Risk Assessment Plan, implement the Ship Security Plan among other time-tested best management measures required to suppress the acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships.

The organisations represented at the dialogue included the Asian Shipowners' Association (ASA), the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO), the Singapore Shipping Association (SSA), the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners’ Association (FASA) as well as various shipping companies.

“ReCAAP ISC will continue to provide the shipping community with timely and accurate information. Through the Phase-I of data analytics generated over a 15-year period of 2007-2021 that focused on the number of perpetrators, weapons carried, treatment of crew, stolen items, type of ships boarded and time of the incidents. The Phase-II of data analytics is underway and we hope to be able to provide more analytical information that will enable the ship crew to be better prepared for any potential piracy and armed robbery incidents by adopting the relevant safety measures especially when navigating through the areas of concerns.

Through dialogue sessions with the shipping community such as the one held today, the Centre aims to better understand the challenges faced by the shipping industry. It is only when we remain in close partnership with our key stakeholders that we can ensure that the sea lanes are kept safe and secure for the smooth traverse of maritime trade and commerce for the economic growth of all in the region” said Mr Krishnaswamy Natarajan, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC.

Looking ahead, ReCAAP ISC will work towards enhancing regional cooperation with the relevant authorities in the region through information sharing and capacity building initiatives. The Centre will also continue to urge its Focal Points to increase surveillance and patrols to deter perpetrators. Additionally, it is only when there are arrests and prosecution of perpetrators that the threat from these maritime crimes can be further reduced.

As part of efforts to encourage the ship crew to report incidents to the appropriate local coastal state authority for timely response by the enforcement agencies, ReCAAP ISC has published a Poster containing the contact details of Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres (MRCCs) and ReCAAP Focal Points. The Centre will also be producing a catalogue on fishing boats operating in Asian waters for easy identification of boats by the ship's crew. This will enable the ship's crew to describe the boat to the authorities when attacked by the perpetrators.

Source: ReCAAP

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Xinde Marine News.

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