Asia/Pacific News
Sharp Drop in Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea in Asia
Incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia dropped sharply in the first half of 2021.
A total of 37 incidents and attempted incidents were reported in the first six months of the year, according to the latest data from the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). This was down from 57 in the same period a year earlier.
But a total of 20 incidents were reported in the Singapore Strait during the first half, up from 16 a year earlier.
"The ReCAAP ISC is concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents in the Singapore Strait," the organisation said in an emailed statement on Friday.
"Since January 2021, the ReCAAP ISC had issued four Incident Alerts to warn the shipping community of the incidents in the Singapore Strait, particularly off Tanjung Pergam, Bintan Island, Indonesia.
"The most recent Incident Alert was issued on 30 Jun reporting on five incidents occurred in June 2021.
"Of the 20 incidents reported during January-June 2021, 16 incidents occurred off Tanjung Pergam."
The organisation 'strongly urges' an increase in patrols in the area, according to the statement.
