Despite the numerous reports that crime against seafarers has fallen dramatically, fresh warnings have gone out this week to vessels operating both in the Indian Ocean and transiting the Singapore Strait. EUNAVFOR warns that it is investigating suspected pirate action groups from Somalia while ReCAAP ISC in the Far East reported three new incidents in the Singapore Strait over the course of just two hours while warning of a possibility of further incidents.
The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported early in October that crimes against seafarers were at a 30-year low in the first nine months of 2024. The highlighted progress in all regions including the Indian Ocean and Singapore Strait while cautioning that crew safety remained at risk.
Now after a lull in activity originating from Somalia, EUNAVFOR’s Operations Atalanta issued a warning this week that said groups had been reported setting out to sea from Somalia. They said there were possibly two action groups with a total of 13 armed pirates who set out late on October 22. In the past, they warned that the groups were operating further out to sea than historically threatening shipping over a much wider range.
There was a spate of new activity beginning in November 2023 as the pirates were possibly emboldened by the incidents in the Red Sea and the increasing number of ships diverting. They were successful in taking control of a bulker and boarding other ships, although the Indian Navy and its elite forces were able to intervene and stop several incidents. One crew however was held until a ransom was paid.
Somalia pirates were also going after fishing vessels possibly to use them as motherships for attacks on large merchant ships. The incidents however tailed off after Atalanta and the Indian Navy were successful with several interventions. Speculation is that the monsoon season which is now ending could have stopped the pirates.
ReCAAP at the same time is warning that there has been a total of 39 incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore since January 2024. They continue to focus on sea robbery but they are warning that in at least two of the recent incidents, the perpetrators that boarded the vessels were armed with knives. In most cases when detected the pirates flee and do not interact with the crew. The majority of the incidents are happening near the western side of the Singapore Strait.
In the early hours of October 18, three incidents were reported. The bulk carrier Nyon (35,500 dwt) was underway when five perpetrators with knives were sighted in the engine room. The alarm was raised and the crew searched the ship but no one was found and nothing was reported stolen. Just over an hour later, the bulker Aspasia Luck (37,700 dwt) sighted 10 armed perpetrators also in its engine room. The crew searched the ship and found that spare engine parts had been stolen.
A third incident happening about 30 minutes later involved the bulker Maran Spirit (93,000 dwt). A single perpetrator was seen in the engine room. The crew searched for more people but found nothing and did not report anything as being stolen.
All three of these incidents happened off Indonesia in the Phillip Channel. ReCAAP warns that 38 of the incidents were in the Singapore Strait which has been an ongoing area of concern. They continue to advise vessels to use vigilance and maintain look-outs while also calling on the local authorities to increase patrols and surveillance.