Bunker Piracy in Straits of Malacca & Singapore "Remains a Key Concern": ReCAAP ISC

Four incidents were said to have occurred onboard ships while anchored or berthed at ports and anchorages including those in Malaysia.

Continued bunker pirate activity in the Straits of Malacca & Singapore (SOMS) "remains a key concern" for the industry, Singapore-based Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) said in its latest report for April 2015.

The ReCAAP report says that in April 2015 a total of 17 incidents were reported in Asia, of which 14 were armed robbery against ships, two were piracy incidents, and one was an attempted incident.

Of the 14 robberies onboard ships, 10 occurred while the ships were underway in the SOMS, while the remaining four were said to have occurred onboard ships while anchored or berthed at ports and anchorages in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.

The offences were said to range from Category 3 (petty theft) to Category 1 (very severe).

"The ReCAAP ISC is mindful about the situation in SOMS, where perpetrators boarded ships while underway in the Singapore Straits during hours of darkness," it said.

"Early detection is essential in prevention of boarding. Ship masters and crew are advised to deploy extra security watches whenever possible and report any suspicious vessels to the nearest coastal states.

"The authorities are urged to step up surveillance efforts and response immediately to all reports."

The report cited an April 1 incident in which perpetrators armed with pistols boarded product tanker Dongfang Glory and reportedly siphoned the ship fuel, stole the crew's personal belongings, and damaged the communication equipment before escaping.

This was the fifth incident of siphoning reported in the region since January 2015. 

In March ReCAAP reported that a single gang was highly suspected to have been behind two armed boardings of commercial vessels in the SOMS.