More Incidents of Armed Robbery Around Singapore Strait

The crime wave that has been plaguing the area around the Singapore Strait in 2025 is continuing. While it remains most petty crime, robberies, the caution continues because the perpetrators appear to have become more brazen, and far more of the reports indicate the perpetrators are carrying guns or knives versus past years.

After incidents in which a seafarer was injured and required a medical evacuation and others were tied up, the most recent did not include any direct interaction between the crew and the boarders. Security consultant Ambrey is advising crews not to confront the perpetrators.

The most recent incident overnight between yesterday, March 10 and today took place aboard a tanker flagged in Panama. The crew reported it saw seven boarders while the vessel was underway near the Phillip Channel. Near the western connection of the Malacca and Singapore Strait, it has become a frequent spot for activity this year.  The report says the boarders appeared to be carrying guns.

The monitoring operation ReCAAP had issued its weekly update yesterday, March 10 reporting one further incident that took place near the eastern side of the Singapore Strait. A tug pulling a barge, accompanied by a second tug, reported seeing three people on the barge. Again, it appeared to be a case of armed robbery with scrap metal being stolen while the vessels were underway. 

Since the first of the year, ReCAAP shows that it has received a total of 26 reports across the entire Southeast Asia region. However, on Monday, it said 23 of the 26 incidents reported since January were in the Strait of Malacca or Singapore Strait region. This compares with just six reported incidents in the first two months of 2024. 

ReCAAP has been calling for the regional states to be more responsive and increase their patrols along the straits. They have also called for faster response times and increased efforts to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators.

Ambrey is advising crews transiting the region to lock down their vessels. They emphasize closing off access to the accommodation block and stores. Most of the incidents have involved the boarders stealing stores or lose tools from the engine room areas. 

Most of the cases do not include a confrontation between the crew and the robbers. Ambrey advises crews should carry out partnered deck patrols to increase safety. When they are discovered, most time, the boarders grab what they can and quickly leave the ships. The incidents have also come in clusters suggesting that when the groups enter the channels they prey on multiple ships over a short period of time.