Alarming Surge in Maritime Robberies Hits Singapore Strait

The six attacks by ship sailing in the Singapore strait in five days this month has activated a spate increase in crimes against the sea vessels, and shipping companies are on alert. The recent novels of attacks – between 2nd May and 7th – has given an unsettling trend whereby, robberies in the locality have escalated to more than three times what they were a year ago.

Nighttime Attacks Target Multiple Vessels

Of the six incidents, all took place in the morning hours of the day in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme, according to the maritime security organization ReCAAP. The stricken ships included chemical tankers, product tankers, and bulk carriers, some of which were owned by firms in Greece and the UAE, among others.

A quite alarming day took place on May 7, as three vessels were struck in 75 minutes. Since the recent attacks, the incidents in the Strait rocketed to 50 this year, and almost quadrupled the 14 recorded during the same period last year (2024).

Escalating Threat Level

Even though robbers would often leave the scene once they were spotted and there were no injured crew members, authorities are afraid that the level of danger is increasing:

• Bulk carrier Virgo fell under attack by two attackers who were armed with firearms
• Thieves with knives were on board
• Reports were made by two ships that engine parts were being taken away
• The attacks occurred in early hours of darkness between 2:45 a.m. and 6:30 a.m