ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) today released its Half-Yearly (January to June 2018) Report. Highlights of the report, whose information is verified by the respective government agencies, also known as Focal Points, and regional authorities, include:
Overall Summary
- Total of 40 incidents reported from January to June 2018, of which 29 were actual incidents while 11 were attempted cases
- Of the 40 incidents reported, 37 (92%) were armed robbery against ships and three (8%) were piracy
- This marks a 15% decrease compared to the same period in 2017 in the number of incidents reported
- This is also the lowest number among the 10-year period (2009-2018) of January to June
- In terms of severity, there was no Category 1 incident, and two Category 2 incidents, marking the least number of severe incidents since 2009
Areas of Improvement
- There was no actual incident of abduction of crew or theft of oil cargo
- There was a decrease in the number of incidents at ports and anchorages in
the Philippines - There were successful arrests and recovery of stolen items
Areas of Concern
- There was a slight increase of incidents: – In the Singapore Strait (from 2 cases in Jan-Jun 2017 to 4 cases in Jan-Jun 2018) – At ports and anchorages in Vietnam (from zero case in Jan-Jun 2017 to 2 cases in Jan-Jun 2018)
- One attempted incident of abduction of crew in Sulu-Celebes Seas
- One attempted incident of theft of oil cargo
“Looking back to the number of incidents in 2017 which increased by 16% compared to 2016, the 15% decrease in the first half of 2018 compared to the same period in 2017 is welcome news. Nonetheless, continued vigilance by all stakeholders is an effective deterrence to maritime crime, and we urge heightened measures to be taken in the areas of concern,” said Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC.
Read more on ReCAAP release.
