Nahush Paranjpye
Published: January 19, 2025
The Club would like to bring to Members’ attention an increase in the number of piracy and robbery incidents onboard ships underway in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait (SS) Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). Eight incidents were reported within the space of a week, with five of those incidents taking place between 13 - 14 November 2024, all in close proximity to Pulau Cula, Indonesia, onboard ships transiting the Phillip Channel. All five incidents occurred in the early hours of the morning. An additional three incidents were reported by the IMB on the 17th, 19th & 20th November. Engine spares were stolen in three incidents, nothing was stolen in three incidents and there was no reference to loss of property in remaining two incidents.
There are no reports of crew members having been injured in these incidents.
The below chart from RECAAP ICS highlights the locations of the most recent 5 incidents, and includes the locations of another 42 incidents that have occurred in the Straits of Malacca & Singapore (SOMS) in the period January 2024 - 14 November 2024.
The Club would remind Members to undertake a robust risk assessment and implement appropriate precautionary measures such as;
- Passage planning to maximise daylight transit through hot spots.
- Implementing robust vessel hardening measures.
- Securing accesses into accommodation, engine room and other vulnerable spaces.
- Increased vigilance, maintain sharp look-out for unusual vessel movements.
- Following guidance in Regional Guide 2 to Counter Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia,
- Reporting all incidents immediately using the ReCAAP ISC Mobile App to the nearest coastal State and flag State.
In addition, Members should be mindful of guidance provided in the latest edition of The Best Management Practice Guidelines (BMP), the Club video Piracy – Menace of the Seas and other useful resources available on our Piracy page.
Contact details of the littoral States (as also reflected in the poster) are per below –
INDONESIA – BAKAMLA MALAYSIA – MMEA (Maritime Operation Centre) SINGAPORE – Port Operations Control Centre (POCC) |
Supportive Information
For further information on this or other Loss Prevention topics please contact the Loss Prevention Department, Steamship Insurance Management Services Ltd.
Tel: +44 20 7247 5490 Email:[email protected]
