ReCAAP: 80 Piracy Incidents This Year till May
From January 2015 till May 2015, a total of 80 incidents had been reported, comprising 75 actual incidents and five attempted incidents, says Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC).
This accounts for an increase of 19% in the number of incidents compared to the same period in 2014. Notably, January-May 2015 recorded the highest number of actual incidents among the five-year reporting period, indicating that more incidents had occurred in 2015; and these were mostly incidents reported in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS).
Of the 80 incidents reported during January-May 2015, five were attempted incidents, seven were Category 1 incidents, 11 were Category 2 incidents, eight were Category 3 incidents and 49 were Petty Thefts.
Although the reported incidents under Category 2 and Category 3 have decreased compared to the last four years, the number of Category 1 and petty theft incidents have increased; and these were incidents involving siphoning of ship fuel/oil (Category 1) and incidents onboard ships while underway in SOMS (petty theft).
The ReCAAP ISC reiterates its advices to all vessels to exercise enhance vigilance while transiting the area and to make timely report of all incidents to the nearest coastal State. The ReCAAP ISC further encourages relevant enforcement authorities to increase maritime patrols and surveillance and undertake immediate actions to apprehend all perpetrators, including petty theft robbers as well as syndicates responsible for the siphoning incidents.