Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Reasons for Continuing Increase in Number of Armed Robbery Cases onboard Commercial Vessels in Singapore Strait and Measures to Minimise Such Cases

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Minister for Transport 

a.     what are the likely reasons for the continuing increase in the number of armed robbery cases onboard commercial vessels in the Singapore Strait in 2022; and 

b.     whether any new measures have been taken by the Government on its part or in conjunction with neighbouring countries in the past year to stem the increase of such cases or to minimise their occurrence.

Reply by Minister for Transport S Iswaran:

1.     In 2022, there were 55 reported sea robbery incidents in the Strait of Singapore, which includes the territorial waters of Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. This was an increase from 49 incidents reported in 2021. Similar to previous years, most of the incidents in 2022 occurred outside Singapore’s territorial waters. Most involved petty thefts of items such as engine spares and ship stores.

2.     As the Strait of Singapore includes the territorial waters of Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore works closely with both countries on initiatives such as coordinated patrols and information-sharing to combat sea robberies.

3.     Singapore has also been playing a pivotal role in international cooperation to combat piracy and sea robbery, such as through the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP). In addition, the RSN has hosted the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) since 2009, which shares real-time information on maritime security incidents with authorities of neighbouring countries through their deployed International Liaison officers and other operational channels.