Pirates attacked tugboat Kim Hock Tug 9 and barge LKH 2882 twice in five hours on 18 January in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Strait.
This unit was enroute from Vietnam to Singapore with scrap metal cargo when it was attacked at 1129 hrs north of Pulau Batam, Indonesia. The incident was broken up when another tug, Kim Hock Virgo approached, forcing the perpetrators to flee in two or three sampans.
The two-day 14th Malacca Straits Patrol Joint Coordinating Committee Meeting, hosted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), will be co-chaired by representatives of the four littoral states, the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said in a statement on Wednesday.
The increase in piracy attempts in the Singapore Strait is a cause for concern as terrorists could exploit the same loopholes to wreak havoc, say security experts.
Government officials have called for greater collaboration with regional neighbours to address the threat.
Yet another ship was involved in a piracy incident on Wednesday in the Singapore Strait following five vessels already attacked by pirates earlier on 20 and 23 December, according to an update by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC).
On 25 December, an incident occurred to tanker Stena Immortal while underway in the eastbound lane of Singapore Strait when six unarmed perpetrators were sighted in the engine room of the ship.
Five vessels were attacked by pirates in the Eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait on 20 and 23 December with the crew on one assaulted, and tied on up on two, adding to a string of incidents in the busy shipping lane.
The tanker Jag Lalit was boarded by six perpetrators armed with knives at 23-25 hours in the Singapore Strait while bound for Kaohsiung, Taiwan, according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC). Members of the crew were assaulted in the attack with the 4th engineer punched in the face and the chief engineer suffering bruising to his neck with a gold chain stolen from him.
Despite ongoing incidents of piracy in Asia, international co-operation efforts are having genuine success at containing the issue. Various policy initiatives are showing promise for the security of the region’s sea lanes, now and into the future, Sam Bateman writes.
Since I wrote on the subject of piracy in Asia for Policy Forum in 2016, the situation has shown marked improvement. According to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), there were 76 incidents in Asia in 2018 as compared with 203 in 2015. In the first nine months of 2019, 54 incidents occurred in the region as compared with 64 in the same period of 2018, a significant drop by any measure.
During January-October 2019 (as of 19 Oct), three incidents of unauthorised boarding of ships in locations of close proximity to each other were reported in the western sector of Singapore Strait. All three incidents occurred to ships of Gross Tonnage between 43,000 and 160,000 while underway in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). Of concern was the latest incident on 19 Oct 19 which involved perpetrators who were armed with gun and knife. The perpetrators threatened the crew, tied his hands and escaped with the ship engine spares. The gun was not discharged.
With the occurrence of three incidents in close proximity to each other within a period of 20 days (on 30 Sep, 18 Oct and 19 Oct), the ReCAAP ISC advises all ships to exercise enhanced vigilance, adopt extra precautionary measures and report all incidents immediately to the nearest coastal State. The ReCAAP ISC recommends to the law enforcement agencies of the littoral States to step up surveillance, increase patrols and respond promptly to incidents reported by ships.
Approximate location of the incidents in Singapore Strait
The Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has tabled a proposal to form and lead an initiative to increase maritime security called the ‘Port Authorities Chief Information Officer Cybersecurity Network” (PACC-Net).
The proposal was made at the 5th Edition of the Port Authorities (PAR) 2019 and the initiative will look to enhance cybersecurity awareness in the maritime sector and facilitate early sharing of cyber-attack information to counter threats.
A total of 28 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia were reported in the first half of this year, marking the lowest number in 13 years since the first half of 2007, according to data by ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC).
While there was a year-on-year drop in first half incidents, 18 incidents were reported in the second quarter, up from 10 incidents in the first quarter.
SEOUL/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – Pirates attacked a South Korean-flagged cargo ship in the South China Sea early on Monday, stealing thousands of dollars in cash and even the sailors’ shoes, South Korean authorities said.
Two people sustained minor injuries when seven pirates boarded the CK Bluebell and made off with $13,000 and belongings including mobile phones, clothes and shoes from the 22-strong crew, officials from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries said.
Maritime Security News 