Armed robbery incidents surge in Singapore Strait
A total of 27 incidents were reported in the first quarter of 2025, compared to seven in the same period in 2024
While most of these incidents are classified as ‘low-level crimes’, security experts have warned that attacks have potentially serious consequences for seafarers
MARITIME crime in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore has surged in the early part of 2025, with 27 incidents reported in the first quarter of the year compared to seven in the same period last year, International Maritime Bureau data reveals.
The majority of these incidents are usually armed robbery attempts and classified as “low-level opportunistic crimes” by the IMB. But crew can be taken hostage while these crimes are taking place and are frequently threatened with weapons, including guns. In 2024, 10 crew members were taken hostage in six separate incidents, with one reported injured.
Worryingly, IMB said 92% of vessels targeted were successfully boarded, including nine bulk carriers. Their lower freeboard, slower sailing speeds and smaller crews often make them an easier target to board.
As IMB deputy director Cyrus Mody told Lloyd’s List in 2024, the perpetrators of crime in Strait of Malacca are usually after spare parts or simply whatever they can lay their hands on.
BIMCO chief security and safety officer Jakob Larsen highlighted that while the increase in armed robbery in the region was “of course bad”, typically the violence levels were “not very dramatic”.
“And so while it’s a big nuisance, and of course a security concern, the impact on the affected seafarers and companies is not as dramatic as it is, for example, when we talk about a kidnap for ransom in Nigeria or elsewhere.”
But International Chamber of Shipping principal director marine John Stawpert said it only took something to go wrong for things to escalate very quickly.
“Somebody could end up being killed as a consequence of what these people are designating low-level actions,” he said.
Elsewhere, incidents off the Somali coast declined from the mini spike seen in the first quarter of 2024, with three incidents in 1Q25 compared to five in 1Q24.
Six incidents in the Gulf of Guinea were reported during the same period, including the hijacking of Bitu River (IMO: 9918133) off Sao Tome and Principe last month, according to IMB data.
