Robbery incidents in January-November 2021 fell by 24% in Asian waters, a significant development in vessel safety, following strict measures by the states.
Some 72 incidents had occurred this year till November, lowered from 95 in the same period last year, according to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), a regional inter-governmental body that works on vessels and crew safety.
In November 2021, eight incidents of armed robbery against ships in territorial/archipelagic waters were reported in Asia while no piracy incident on high seas was reported.
Of the eight incidents, seven were actual incidents and one was an attempted one. Six of the total incidents occurred on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait, and two incidents on board ships while at anchor at Kandla Anchorage, India and Jakarta Anchorage, Indonesia.
During the January-November period, the decrease of incidents occurred in most of the locations, except in the Singapore Strait. “The situation in the Singapore Strait continues to be an area of concern,” said ReCAAP ISC in the report.
The Singapore Strait saw 41 incidents during January-November 2021 compared to 34 incidents during the same period last year. With one more month to the end of 2021, this is already the third-highest number of incidents in the Singapore Strait since 2007.
Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, South China Sea, and Sulu-Celebes Seas led the fall of incidents during the January-November 2021 period.
No single incident was reported in Bangladesh, South China Sea, and Sulu-Celebes Seas area during the first 11 months of 2021, while India saw five incidents against nine in the last year, Indonesia saw 11 incidents this year compared to 21 incidents in January-November 2020.
In Malaysia, one incident was reported during the period in review compared to three in the same period last year while the number of incidents fell from 13 to 11 in the Philippines. Vietnam reported two incidents this year compared to six in 2020’s corresponding period.
“Collective efforts and shared responsibility of all stakeholders are required towards combating piracy and armed robbery against ships,” ReCAAP ISC commented and added that the organisation is concerned with the non-reporting of incidents by ships in the waters of coastal states.
“The immediate reporting of incidents will enable the coastal states to activate their law enforcement agencies to response to the incidents. The reporting of incidents also enables the authorities to step up surveillance in the vicinity, which deters the perpetrators from repeating attacks on other ships in the area,” pointed out ReCAAP ISC.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
