ReCAAP ISC: Piracy and Robbery Against Ships in Asia July 2022

ReCAAP ISC: Piracy and Robbery Against Ships in Asia July 2022
The Editorial Team August 24, 2022 https://safety4sea.com/recaap-isc-piracy-and-robbery-against-ships-in-as...

ReCAAP ISC publishes its piracy report for July 2022, noting that eight incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. No incident of piracy was reported.

More specifically, seven of the eight incidents occurred in the Singapore Strait (SS). The situation of armed robbery against ships in the SS continues to be an area of concern. It accounts for 68% of the total number of incidents reported in Asia during January-July 2022 (34 of 50 incidents).

Number of incidents

In July 2022, eight incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. All were actual incidents. No attempted incident was reported. All incidents were verified and reported to the ReCAAP ISC by ReCAAP Focal Points.

Compared to the preceding month (June 2022), the total number of incidents reported has increased. In June 2022, three incidents were reported.

Status of ships

All the eight incidents in July 2022 occurred on board ships while underway.

Significance levels of incidents

To provide a qualitative perspective of the incidents, the ReCAAP ISC classifies each actual incident into one of the four categories to determine its overall significance level (CAT 1, CAT 2, CAT 3 and CAT 4).

The eight actual incidents in July 2022 consists of one CAT 25 incident, four CAT 36 incidents and three CAT 47 incidents.

#1 CAT 2: The CAT 2 incident occurred on board a bulk carrier while underway in the SS when six unauthorised persons armed with pistol were sighted in the engine room. The alarm was raised and crew mustered. A search of the engine room and ship’s accommodation was conducted and some engine spare parts were reported stolen. The pistol was not used or discharged during the incident and all crew members were safe with no injuries.

#2 CAT 3: Of the four incidents, three incidents occurred on board ships (two bulk carriers and one tanker) while underway in the SS; and one incident on board a bulk carrier while sailing towards Jakarta Anchorage, Indonesia. In all four incidents, the perpetrators were armed with either knives or machetes. The perpetrators, however, did not use the knives or machetes to threaten or harm the crew. Engine spare parts were stolen in two incidents, and nothing was stolen in the other two incidents.

#3 CAT 4: All three incidents occurred in the SS. Two incidents occurred on board bulk carriers while underway in the SS and one incident on board a barge towed by a tug boat. Engine and generator spare parts were stolen from the bulk carriers while scrap metals were stolen from the barge. All crew members were safe with no injuries.

Armed robbery against ships

A total of seven incidents were reported in the SS in July 2022. All were actual incidents. Of the seven incidents, four occurred in eastbound lane of the TSS, two in precautionary area, and one in westbound lane.

Recommendations

Keep abreast of the latest situation (at www.recaap.org) particularly the incident- prone areas in the SS. The ReCAAP ISC’s reports indicate detailed location of incidents with latitude and longitude.
Tune-in to advisories and navigational broadcasts announced by the authorities.
Maximise vigilance, lookouts for suspicious small boats and increase watch keeping; particularly for crew on board tug boats towing barges during daylight, and for crew on board bigger ships during night time.
Keep the CCTV and other devices including communication equipment operational to alert the ship crew and recording the movement of perpetrators.
Close all doors and hatches having direct access to the bridge, accommodation, store rooms, steering gear compartment and engine room.
Maintain communication with their shipping company by providing periodic updates and establish daily communication checks.
Report all incidents, suspicious activities and presence of suspicious small boats in the vicinity to the nearest coastal State and flag State.
Sound alarm when suspicious boats are sighted loitering in the vicinity of the ship or barge or suspicious individuals are sighted on board the ship or barge.

EXPLORE MORE AT RECAAP ISC’S PIRACY REPORT - https://safety4sea.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ReCAAP-ISC-July-2022-R...