Asian Piracy Incidents Fall to Seven-Year First-Half Low

Reported cases of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia dropped to their lowest first-half total in seven years, following a significant reduction in attacks in the Singapore Strait after strengthened enforcement efforts.

According to its latest half-year report, published today, the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre recorded 35 incidents across the region between January and June. That represents a 64% decrease from the 96 incidents reported during the same period in 2025 and marks the lowest first-half figure since 2019.

The most notable improvement was seen in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, where reported incidents fell by 74% to 21. During the first half of 2025, the area recorded 80 attacks as criminal groups repeatedly targeted ships transiting one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes. Despite the decline, the straits still accounted for 60% of all reported incidents in Asia.

The sharp decrease in incidents in the SOMS in the first half of 2026 can be attributed to the combination of effective preventive measures by the shipping industry and firm operational response by the law enforcement agencies of the littoral states,” said Vijay Chafekar, Executive Director of the Singapore-based organization. He added that the remaining petty theft incidents, now concentrated in the eastbound lane of the Phillip Channel, “can be contained by implementing visible countermeasures onboard ships”.

The majority of the 35 reported cases followed a familiar pattern. All involved armed robbery within the territorial waters of coastal states, with most being opportunistic thefts carried out while vessels were underway. A total of 21 ships were boarded during transit.

Bulk carriers were the primary targets in the Singapore Strait, accounting for 62% of reported incidents. Engine spare parts were the items most frequently stolen, and around three-quarters of the boardings took place under the cover of darkness. In 85% of cases, crew members were not harmed.

However, the improvement was not consistent across the region. Philippine ports and anchorages recorded 10 incidents during the first six months of the year, compared with none during the same period in 2025. The increase prompted a series of arrests by the Philippine Coast Guard between January and April.

Elsewhere, there have been no crew abductions in the Sulu-Celebes Seas or waters off eastern Sabah since January 2020, while Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the South China Sea, and Vietnam all recorded fewer incidents than a year earlier.