Pirate Attacks And Robberies Expected To Increase in Southeast Asia In 2022 – Report

• Previous
• Next

Piracy and sea robberies (PSR) are expected to increase in Southeast Asia in the second half of 2022 owing to economic impacts resulting from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, per a recent report by a think tank that is Singapore government affiliated.

The 100km Singapore Strait is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. It is the most notorious PSR black spot. The number of attacks there has increased by leaps and bounds since the end of 2019, per a report shared by author Ian Storey, a senior fellow associated with the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute.

About 36 incidents were reported in Southeast Asia in the first six months of this year, compared to the 35 attacks observed during the same phase in 2021 and 47 back in 2020, per a piracy information group named ReCAAP-ISC.

The Singapore Strait, where more than 100,000 vessels loaded with billions of US dollars in goods and commodities pass by every year, observed 27 incidents within the first six months of 2022, all in Indonesian waters. The number marked was up from 20 during the same period of 2021.

From 2019 to 2021, most incidents took place in the Traffic Separation Scheme’s eastern sector, in waters of Indonesia in the Riau Islands, including Batam and Bintan, reflected to the data from ReCAAP-ISC.

The attacks, mostly nonviolent and low-level theft or robbery, were conducted against larger vessels like oil tankers, bulk carriers, and even general cargo vessels, mainly – by gangs comprising three to five individuals, typically with knives.

ReCAAP also reflected 49 Singapore Strait cases in 2021, accounting for 60% of attacks in Asia. This reportedly increased from 34 cases in the Singapore Strait in 2020.

Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia are responsible for the safety and security in their respective territorial waters that form the strait.

Several reasons may cause a sudden surge in attacks in the Singapore Strait over the years. Storey noted that the economic issues brought about by the ongoing pandemic could be one, though not in 2019.

Per the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre based in Kuala Lumpur, incidents reduced from 43 in 2017 to about 25 in 2019. In 2020, it was 26 and nine last year.
The number of incidents in ports of Malaysia and Vietnam also dropped in 2020 and 2021.

Indonesia, especially, has been significantly successful in lowering the cases of sea robberies. Following its 2014 Safe Anchorage program, the Indonesian marine police reportedly hiked the patrols in 10 ports. The program has contributed to a decline in incidents in waters of Indonesia outside Singapore Strait.

But attacks in Manila were on the rise during the Covid-19 pandemic owing to the significant number of vessels anchoring in the port. The Philippine Coast Guard has reportedly stepped up the harbour patrols and made some arrests.