ReCAAP ISC holds dialogue with shipping industry to discuss spike in sea robbery

The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) held a dialogue with representatives from the shipping industry to discuss the latest situation of armed robbery against ships in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS). From January to June 2025, a total of 80 sea robbery incidents were reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), compared to the 21 incidents reported in the SOMS from January to June 2024. The majority of incidents were robbery and theft onboard vessels, where perpetrators did not harm the crew and escaped upon being sighted.

During the dialogue, participants expressed concern about the sharp rise in incidents in the SOMS in the first half of 2025, and discussed the need to report incidents promptly to law enforcement agencies of the littoral States. Participants also shared case studies on incidents of unauthorised boardings, and exchanged views on effective shipboard security measures to deter sea robbery. This includes the use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) to collect evidence of unauthorised boarding, and having additional watchkeeping crew when the vessel conducts night transits.

ReCAAP ISC Executive Director, Vijay D Chafekar, said, “The spike in sea robberies in the SOMS this year is a cause for concern, as almost half of the world’s total annual seaborne trade tonnage passes through the SOMS. To deal with these incidents effectively, littoral State authorities need to increase their presence and deterrence in the areas of concern where incidents are occurring repeatedly, and arrest the culprits who are boarding ships illegally to steal items. I urge shipmasters transiting the SOMS to stay alert and step up preventive measures, especially in the hours of darkness, to prevent unauthorised boardings by perpetrators.”

As part of the dialogue, MPA Singapore shared on inter-agency collaboration to combat armed robbery against ships in the SOMS, while the Information Fusion Centre (IFC), Singapore Police Coast Guard and Hafnia Chem Shipholding presented cooperative efforts and recommended measures to combat sea robbery in the SOMS.