In the first half of the year, Asian piracy incidents doubled



        In the first half of 2020, the number of attacked ships reported in Asia doubled, exacerbating safety concerns for seafarers in the region.


From January 2020 to June 2020, a total of 51 cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships (including 50 actual incidents and 1 attempted incident) have been reported in Asia, which is higher than the 28 incidents (25 incidents) in the same period in 2019 Actual events and 3 near misses), according to the latest semi-annual report of the ReCAAP Information Sharing Center (ISC).


  In one of the busiest waterways in the world, more and more attacks have occurred. According to reports, there were 16 attacks on ships sailing in the Singapore Strait, compared with only 8 in the same period in 2019. Piracy activities are also on the rise in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and southern China.


   Although the number of incidents has increased, the severity of the attacks has not increased. In 74% of the cases, the perpetrators were unarmed and the ship’s crew were not harmed.


   "In the first half of 2020, the number of accidents reported in Asia nearly tripled compared to the same period last year. We are deeply concerned about this, although most of them are of lower severity," said Masafumi Kuroki, Executive Director of ReCAAP ISC. "If it is left unresolved,'small' crimes will give criminals the courage to commit more serious behaviors."


"This surge in the epidemic comes at a time when the world affected by the COVID-19 epidemic is facing a huge challenge. Despite the difficulties caused by the pandemic, we encourage the shipping community and maritime law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant, report in a timely manner and respond quickly to incidents to protect seafarers Life and safety of maritime transport."


   The increasing number of ship attacks in Asia is part of a larger global trend. According to the latest pirate report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce, there has been a surge in crew kidnappings and violent attacks in West African waters in 2020. Since January, 77 seafarers have been kidnapped or kidnapped for ransom.


   Earlier this week, armed pirates hijacked 13 seamen on a Liberian-flag oil tanker in the Gulf of Guinea.


   In Asia, crew kidnappings are not very common, but they still happen from time to time. Of the 8 crew members who were hijacked in the waters of Lahad Datu, Malaysia on January 17, 5 are still being detained.