ReCAAP: Report on Piracy Incidents for 1st Quarter of 2013

For the period January-March (1st quarter) of 2013, a total of 28 incidents comprising 27 actual incidents and one attempted incident were reported in Asia. Of the 27 actual incidents, five were Category 2 (moderately significant) incidents, eight were Category 3 (less significant) incidents and 14 were petty theft incidents (minimum significant).

No Category 1 (very significant) incident was reported during the 1st quarter of 2013. Compared to the same period in 2010-2012, there has been a decrease in the number of incidents and its severity. The improvement was most apparent in the South Asian region, particularly the port and anchorages in Bangladesh. For the Southeast Asian region, the improvement was most apparent in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) with no incidents reported there during January-March 2013 compared to the same quarter in past three years (2010-2012). However, there has been an increase in the number of incidents atsome ports and anchorages, with relatively more incidents occurred during daylight hours.

Number of Incidents

During January-March 2013, a total of 28 incidents were reported, of which 27 were actual incidents and one was an attempted incident. The highest number of incidents occurred in February 2013, and lowest in January 2013.

Significance Level

Of the 27 actual incidents reported during January-March 2013, five were Category 2 incidents, eight were Category 3 incidents and 14 were petty theft incidents. No Category 1 incident was reported during this period.

Although February 2013 recorded the highest number of incidents during the 1st quarter of 2013, majority were Category 3 and petty theft incidents.

Type of Weapons Used

Among the incidents reported during January-March 2013, three incidents involved robbers armed with guns and knives, and 10 incidents involved robbers armed with knives only. The majority (14) incidents involved robbers who were either not armed or not known if they were armed.

Treatment of Crew

Majority of incidents (22) reported that either the crew was not injured or not known if they were injured. During the period of January-March 2013, there was one incident of the duty crew being attacked by robbers, but no information on the status of his injury. Two incidents involving the crew being held hostage were reported (one incident reported that the robber tied the crew’s hands, and another reported that the robber pointed a gun at the crew). However, there was no information on the extent of injuries sustained by the crew in both incidents.

ReCAAP, April 29, 2013