Piracy incidents in the Singapore Strait have soared by 250%!

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The Singapore Strait, as the "maritime lifeline" connecting the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, has an average of over 1,000 ships passing through it daily and carries 30% of the global trade and transportation volume. However, piracy incidents on ships crossing the Singapore Strait are increasing day by day, and the risks are constantly escalating.

According to a report released by ReCAAP ISC, among the 21 attempted robbery incidents that occurred in the strait from January to February this year, 76% (16 cases) were concentrated in the western Strait of Singapore and Malaysia, a 250% increase from 6 cases in the same period of 2024, marking that the hotspot of piracy cases in the busiest waterway in Southeast Asia is accelerating its westward shift.

This trend has disrupted the crime distribution centered on the eastern part of the Singapore Strait near Bintan Island in Indonesia over the past decade. In 2024, 54 of the 62 robberies in the Singapore Strait occurred in the strait. However, in the first two months of 2025 alone, the number of cases in this area has rapidly approached the peak of last year.

Analysis indicates that when the vessel turns in the northwest of Kapalajani Island in the New Malaysia Strait, it needs to slow down significantly to 8-10 knots, and the channel is close to the coastal fishing area of Indonesia, providing a "perfect window for the robbers to commit crimes". Criminal gangs use fishing boats to disguise themselves. After committing crimes, they can quickly flee to shallow water areas or islands to hide. Moreover, the huge daily traffic flow of 400 vessels in this sea area further increases the difficulty of law enforcement.

The three consecutive attacks that occurred in the early hours of February 28th can be regarded as typical cases: from 00:30 to 07:00 local time, a total of three accidents happened in the Strait of Singapore and Malaysia, possibly involving the same group of perpetrators. The 95,800 deadweight tonnage bulk carrier Ifestos, the 33,500 deadweight tonnage bulk carrier DSM Rose and the 49,900 deadweight tonnage MR2 ship Basset, the first two ships were located less than 1.1 nautical miles apart and were attacked less than an hour apart. It is reported that there were 5 to 6 armed perpetrators involved.

These perpetrators often target low-speed vessels with a starboard length of 4 to 6 meters (with a speed of less than 12 knots). Among them, a crew member of the Basset was stabbed, and in the three cases, only the engine parts of one ship were stolen, reflecting the targeted theft demand of pirate gangs for key components of ships.

The assessment suggests that there might be multiple pirate gangs in the Strait of Singapore and Malaysia. Their members are familiar with the separate navigation system and are adept at taking advantage of the night to infiltrate the eastbound fleets. They might even commit consecutive crimes on the same night. This "Wolf pack tactic" echoes the three attacks on November 14, 2024, demonstrating the continuous upgrading of the gang's collaborative capabilities.

However, the vast 1,500-square-kilometer sea area and complex fishery activities of the Strait of Singapore and Malaysia still pose difficulties for supervision. The Information Fusion Centre (IFC) warns that if coastal countries fail to achieve real-time sharing of radar data, piracy incidents in this sea area may exceed 30 in the first quarter of 2025 alone.