Increasing Robbery Spree in Singapore Strait Raises Alarm for ReCAAP

ReCAAP (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia) is sounding the alarm as the robbery spree in the area around the Singapore Strait continues. The organization, which marked 20 years, is expressing concern and warning of the possibility of further incidents.

While there has been a total of 50 incidents reported to ReCAAP since the start of 2025, they are highlighting that there were three incidents in close proximity in one hour and 15 minutes on May 7 and two other incidents in just three and a half hours on May 2. All the incidents were aboard vessels underway in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait near the western area near the Phillip Channel. Most of the incidents reported in 2025 have been in this same area.

Most of the incidents are robberies where the perpetrators attempt not to interact with the crew or flee when they are spotted. ReCAAP, however, has warned that more of them are being seen with guns or knives, including two people who appeared to have guns when they were spotted among a group of five boarders on a Greek-owned bulker, Virgo, on May 7. The two boarders seen on the Wisdom Ocean bulk carrier Hui Shun No. 1 on May 7 had knives.

The incidents vary between a single person aboard the MOL Singapore chemical tanker Elm Galaxy to five people on the UAE-managed product tanker S M A on May 2. Both the S M A and the Galaxy reported engine spare parts were stolen, while the other vessels did not report anything missing. None of the crew were injured in any of the latest incidents.

ReCAAP notes its concern stems from the dramatic increase. This year it has received 50 reports compared with 14 incidents between January 1 and May 7, 2024.

As it is only a monitoring and coordination initiative designed to educate everyone, ReCAAP can only issue alerts. It is, however, again urging the littoral states to increase patrols and surveillance in the region. They said it is critical to respond promptly to reports from the vessels and to strengthen coordination and promote information sharing.

For ships transiting the area, ReCAAP advised intensifying vigilance and maintaining lookouts while in these waters. The greatest concern is in the hours of darkness.

The area between the Singapore and Malacca straits has become a hotbed for piracy and robberies. Across the whole of the Southeast Asia region monitored by ReCAAP, it lists only 58 incidents so far in 2025, with 50 in the area around Singapore.