Singapore: Piracy and sea robberies (PSR) in Southeast Asia is likely to increase in the second half of this year as a result of economic problems caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, according to a recent report by a Singapore government-affiliated think tank. ,
Ian Storey, a senior fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and author of the report, claims that the Singapore Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, is one of the most severe PSR "black spots" since the end of 2019. There has been a sharp increase in attacks.
According to piracy information organization RECAAP-ISC, there were 36 incidents in Southeast Asia in the first half of 2022, compared to 35 during the same period in 2021 and 47 in 2020.
In the first half of this year, there were 27 incidents, all of which occurred in Indonesian waters, in the 100 km-long Strait of Singapore, which is crossed annually by more than 100,000 ships carrying goods and goods worth billions of dollars. This increased from 20 during the same time period in 2017.
According to RECAAP-ISC data, most incidents between 2019 and 2021 occurred in Indonesian waters near the Riau Islands, which include Bintan and Batam, on the eastern side of the Traffic Separation Scheme.
Attacks were carried out by gangs of three to five people, most of whom were carrying knives, against larger ships, including bulk carriers, oil tankers and general cargo ships.
The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, according to RECAAP data, will result in 49 incidents in the Singapore Strait in 2021, or 60% of all attacks in Asia. The number rose to 34 incidents in the Strait of Singapore in 2020.
In the respective territorial waters of the three countries that make up the strait, Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia, security is their respective responsibility.
The increase in attacks in the Strait of Singapore in the past few years can be attributed to a number of factors. Although not in 2019, Story pointed out, the economic issues brought on by the pandemic are probably one.
The Singapore-based Information Fusion Center estimated that the high number of incidents in the fourth quarter of 2021—23 out of 49 that year—could be due to adverse weather that prevented fishermen from venturing out to sea.
He also mentioned how the upcoming holiday celebrations may have prompted locals to turn to petty crimes as a way to supplement their income.
The increase in attacks in the strait was also attributed to increasing hostilities in the South China Sea between China and Indonesia.
China's "nine-dash line", a territorial claim that overlaps with Indonesia's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the resource-rich Natuna Islands, symbolizes China's broad claims in the South China Sea.
Beijing's territorial claims to the South China Sea were influenced by a 2016 Hague Tribunal decision, which found Beijing's case lacked legal backing and was in violation of a maritime treaty.
Beijing dramatically increased the entry of fishing boats carrying the Chinese flag into the region in late 2019 and early 2020 in an effort to enforce its claims.
By redeploying warships from other parts of the archipelago, including the Singapore Strait, the Indonesian government responded by rejecting China's illegitimate claims and increasing its military presence near Natunus.
According to IMB-PRC, PSR incidents from Natunas ceased in 2021, Storey said.
The fight against piracy in Southeast Asia
Most PSR incidents in Southeast Asia are piracy. These include actual or attempted attacks that occur within the 12-nautical-mile territorial maritime boundary of coastal states.
To address this problem, local law enforcement agencies have increased security at their ports and anchorages. As a result, there have been fewer incidents of piracy in some of the major ports in Southeast Asia.
According to the International Maritime Bureau's Piracy Reporting Center in Kuala Lumpur, the number of incidents dropped from 43 attacks in 2017 to 25 in 2019, 26 in 2020 and 9 in 2021.
There were fewer incidents in Malaysian and Vietnamese ports between 2020 and 2021.
Indonesia is particularly well in reducing piracy. The Indonesian Maritime Police increased patrols in ten ports as part of its Safe Mooring Program for 2014. According to Story, "this event has contributed to a significant decline in incidence in Indonesian waters outside the Strait of Singapore."
Given the large number of ships in port awaiting crew changes, attacks in Manila increased, with nine piracy in 2021. Since then, the Philippine Coast Guard has increased port patrols and made some arrests.
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