ReCAAP: Hijackings of Small Coastal Tankers Key Concern

zoom Hijacking of small coastal tankers for fuel/oil siphoning continues to be a key concern in Asia, according to the recent report by piracy watchdog ReCAAP ICS. Figures for the month of April show 17 reported incidents of piracy and maritime crime. Out of that two vessels were hijacked for their cargoes during the period while there were 14 robberies and one attempted robbery. The geographical locations of the incidents shows the highest activity in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme in the Singapore Straits under cover of darkness. The trend seems to be resuming from the first quarter of the year when the number of incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) doubled compared to the same period in 2014. During January-March 2015, a total of 19 incidents were reported in SOMS, highest among the 5-year period.