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Piracy incidents in Malacca, Singapore Straits hit highest level in 20 years

Fortunately, most of the incidents, which had occurred on the eastbound lane of the SOMS, were cases of opportunistic theft that left most of the ships’ crew uninjured.

In almost half of the cases, nothing was taken despite the vessels being boarded by unknown persons. (Photo: www.straitstimes.com)
In almost half of the cases, nothing was taken despite the vessels being boarded by unknown persons. (Photo: www.straitstimes.com)

Singapore (VNA) - The number of piracy and armed robbery incidents targeting vessels in the Malacca and Singapore Straits (SOMS) in 2025 rose to 108 cases, marking the highest level recorded over the past 19 years (2007–2025).

The recent figures represent a 74% increase from the 62 incidents reported in the SOMS for 2024, said the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) at a media briefing on January 9.

Fortunately, most of the incidents, which had occurred on the eastbound lane of the SOMS, were cases of opportunistic theft that left most of the ships’ crew uninjured.

ReCAAP executive director Vijay D. Chafekar said that the increase in incidents in 2025 “does not indicate a corresponding increase in threat to maritime trade passing through the SOMS”, The Straits Times reported.

The higher number of incidents largely corresponds to minor petty theft cases, he added.

In almost half of the cases, nothing was taken despite the vessels being boarded by unknown persons. Engine spares were stolen in 31% of the incidents. A smaller percentage reported personal belongings, cash and ship stores being stolen. Over half of the incidents happened to bulk carriers or vessels carrying unpacked cargo, mostly in the dead of night.

A hint of the spike in sea robbery incidents in the SOMS emerged when the figures for the first half of 2025 were revealed in July 2025. The figure was four times that for the same period in 2024, as there were 80 such incidents reported to ReCAAP between January and June 2025. Yet, the spate of incidents fell from July to October 2025, said Lee Yin Mui, deputy director of ReCAAP, attributing the decline to Indonesian law enforcement efforts. While 14 sea robbery incidents in the SOMS were reported for July, one incident each was recorded in September and October.

Chafekar said while the increase in sea robbery incidents in the SOMS highlights the continuing security challenges faced by ships transiting the busy waterway, the decline in incidents following the arrest of perpetrators by the Riau Islands Regional Police illustrates the deterrent effect of effective enforcement./.

VNA
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