The number of piracy and armed robbery incidents in the Asian region has increased to seven in May compared to preceding months, according to piracy watchdog ReCAAP.
Although there were no reports of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah, as well as a lack of hijacking incidents for theft of oil cargo, ReCAAP said that the abduction of crew for ransom in these waters remains a serious concern.
In May 2019, six actual incidents of armed robbery against ships and one attempted incident of piracy were reported.
Compared to the same month last year, there was a 22% decrease in the number of incidents reported, however, compared to the past six preceding months the number of incidents reported in May 2019 has increased.
Between November 2018 and April 2019, a total of three incidents to four incidents were reported each month.
Of the seven incidents reported in May 2019, three incidents occurred on board ships at anchor/berth (at Kandla in India; and Dumai and Cigading in Indonesia) and four incidents on board ships while underway (off Pulau Mapur, Indonesia; off Mindanao, Philippines in the Pacific Ocean; and off Tanjung Piai, Malaysia in the Singapore Strait).
ReCAAP informed that, of the six actual incidents reported in May 2019, one was a CAT 2 incident and five were CAT 4 incidents.