Southeast Asia Maritime Crime Up 38 Percent in First 9 Months, Set to Get Worse in Q4

The number of incidents reported in the last three months of the year is expected to substantially grow.

Piracy in Southeast Asia this year has continued to rise, with the volume of crime in the area having risen 38 percent in the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same time period last year, Dryad Maritime said in a research statement. 

And the outlook for Q4 is that things are set to get worse, as the company notes that historically, the last three months of the year have seen the largest numbers of incidents.

The trend is expected to continue this year, especially as patrolling efforts of anchorages by governments appear to have been scaled down or terminated. 

"Throughout the year, Dryad has been calling for the three nations surrounding the Singapore Strait to provide a permanent security presence in the area," the company said.

"However, despite announcements by the MMEA (Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency) and the Indonesian authorities on enhancing patrol cooperation and coordination, there remains little in the way of a visual presence in this particular area."

194 instances of maritime crime have purportedly been reported so far this year, 14 of which were hijackings and 90 of which involved theft or attempted theft. 

Although there has reportedly been a slowdown in fuel siphoning incidents, Dryad Maritime said that it did not expect the numbers to stay quiet in the final three months of the year. 

Meanwhile, the number of maritime crime incidents in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Guinea have reportedly been comparatively low. 

Earlier this year, Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) commented that Southeast Asian piracy continued to be "especially dangerous for seafarers," while piracy in the Gulf of Guinea continued to see "unacceptable levels" of piracy.