With a 7% increase in incidents in Asian waters, a total of 107 incidents occurred in the just concluded year.
At the same time, two life-threatening category 1 armed robberies also took place in 2024. Such category 1 incident took place this year after a long break, according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre.
The category 1 incidents involved a large number of perpetrators who are mostly armed with guns and knives, and the crew is likely to suffer some form of injury or physical violence like being assaulted, tied up, or threatened.
In the case of category 1 incidents, losses include the ship being either hijacked or the cargo on board being stolen, for example, siphoning of cargo oil.
ReCAAP ISC data shows that in 2023 some 100 incidents took place with no Category 1 incidents recorded.
In 2024, Asian waters were much riskier for the sailors with the number of category 2 incidents rising to 16 from 9 in last year and only 4 in 2022.
The majority of category 2 incidents involved 4-9 men who are likely to be armed with knives/machetes and in one in four of the incidents, armed with guns. The crew is likely to be threatened or held hostage temporarily to allow the perpetrators to steal the crew’s cash and ship’s property including engine spares.
The first category 1 incident that occurred in Asian water in 2024 was on February 1 in a tug boat and barge in Indonesia while the ship was en route from Muara Sampit to Manggis, South Kalimantan. The perpetrators carrying firearms and sharp weapons boarded the vessels from a ship, SPOB Bagas Danar Jaya 01.
The master and crew were subsequently held hostage for more than 27 hours. The perpetrators stole FAME (Fatty Acid Methyl Ester) cargo, cash and personal belongings of crew and ship’s goods, as well as damaged navigation equipment before they escaped.
The other category 1 incident also took place in Indonesia on September 22, 2024, also involving a tug boat and barge. The tug boat towing barge was en route from Bagendang Port to Stagen Kotabaru and five perpetrators in a small boat approached the vessels. Four of the perpetrators boarded the barge, while one perpetrator waited in the small boat. The perpetrators, carrying firearms and sharp weapons, locked the crew members onboard the barge inside the toilet.
The perpetrators then moved to the tug boat, where they threatened and restrained the master and crew in the mess room, binding them with plastic ropes. The perpetrators subsequently siphoned the FAME cargo onto a tanker, and also stole 21 mobile phones, cash, and navigational equipment like Furuno radar and binoculars. The perpetrators also damaged communication and navigational tools onboard the ship before they escaped. The incident lasted between eight and 10 hours.
On 1 November 2024, it was reported that the Central Kalimantan Police had arrested 14 suspected perpetrators of the incident.
In the just concluded year, like in the previous year, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore appeared at the top of the list of places where the highest number of incidents occurred, with 62 incidents taking place. Indonesia secured the second position with 22 incidents, up from 16 incidents that occurred in 2023.
Bangladesh emerged as the new hotspot for robbers with 13 incidents taking place in 2024 compared to only one in the previous year. Three incidents occurred in the Philippines in just concluded year while Vietnam, India, and South China Sea had two incidents each and Malaysia had only one incident.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
