Four incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia, ReCAAP ISC has said. No piracy incident was reported. Of the four incidents, three were actual incidents and one was an attempted incident. Three incidents occurred on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait and one incident on board a ship while underway off Diu, India.
The most serious (a CAT 3) incident occurred on board a bulk carrier while underway in the Singapore Strait. Four perpetrators boarded the ship and were sighted in the engine room by the duty oiler. One of the perpetrators threatened the duty oiler with a knife but did not harm him. The perpetrators escaped without stealing anything.
The ReCAAP ISC said that it was concerned with the continued occurrence of incidents on board ships while underway in the Singapore Strait. In May 2021, three incidents were reported in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS) in the Singapore Strait.
There was no report of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah in May 2021.
During January to May 2021, 28 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia. Of these incidents, 26 were actual incidents and two were attempted incidents. No piracy incident was reported. Compared to January-May 2020, the total number of incidents during January-May 2021 decreased by 45%.