The latest report from the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ReCAPP), which covers incidents of piracy and armed robbery in Asian waters during January to November.
The situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia has witnessed continuous improvement in November 2016, with a 60% decrease in total number of incidents compared to the same period in 2015.
Notably continued improvement was observed in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) with no incident reported in the SOMS since April 2016. Also, no incident involving hijacking of tankers for theft of oil cargo was reported in November 2016.
However, the situation in the Sulu-Celebes Sea and off Eastern Sabah is quite alarming. More need to be done by the littoral States and the shipping industry to firmly address the situation of abduction of crew in the area. In particular, the littoral States are requested to step up patrols and enforcement in the area; and the shipping industry is expected to adopt relevant preventive measures taking reference from the ‘Regional Guide to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia’.
The ReCAAP ISC also encourages the relevant governmental agencies to issue Advisory to their shipping industry to warn them about the situation there and to adopt the appropriate anti-piracy measures.
Overall, incidences of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia saw a 60 percent decrease in November 2016
“The ReCAAP ISC urges all ships to re-route from the area, where possible. Otherwise, the ReCAAP ISC strongly advises master and crew to exercise enhanced vigilance and adopt anti-piracy measures when transiting the area,” said ReCAAP.
“They are advised to raise alarm and alert the crew when sighting suspicious boats approaching or in the vicinity. They are strongly encouraged to report to the PCG and coastal States immediately, to alert ships in the vicinity and to increase speed and conduct evasive manoeuvres.”
In July, ReCAAP released its half year report, covering incidents of piracy and armed robbery in Asian waters during January to June, which showed that only 2 hijackings of ships for the purpose of oil cargo theft had as of that time in 2016, compared to 10 in 2015.
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Source: ReCAAP
