Cases Of Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia In 2026 Hit Lowest First-Half Level In 7 Years

Cases of Armed robbery against ships in Asia dropped in the first half of 2026 to their lowest level in 7 years.

The incidents fell from 64%, i.e., 96 cases between January and June in 2025 to just 35 cases in the same time period in 2026, according to the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC), which tracks piracy and armed robberies against ships in the region.

The figure is the lowest in the January to June period since 2019, when 28 incidents occurred.

The Straits of Malacca and Singapore accounted for 21 of the 35 incidents, or 60% of all reported cases in Asia. 20 cases among these occurred in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait.

However, the cases fell by 74% from 80 in the first half of 2025 to just 21 in this year.

ReCAAP ISC executive director Vijay Chafekar said that the decline in armed robbery incidents in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is due to several measures undertaken by the authorities.

These include turning floodlights on at sea, deploying more ship security onboard, and being in contact with law enforcement agencies of nearby countries.

11 cases involved bulk carriers which were boarded by men with knives and gun-like objects. Barges towed by tugboats and tankers were also attacked.

Most incidents happened when the ship was moving, and the others were recorded when the ships were anchored.

Engine spares were stolen in one-third of the incidents, while scrap metal was taken in barges in 24% of the cases.

Other items stolen included ship stores and a mobile phone.

In 85% of cases, the crew was not harmed, while in the others, they were either threatened or injured.

In an incident, one crew member suffered from a head injury while running away from the armed men and in another, a crew member ran and locked himself in the engine room.

Three in four cases occurred between 9 pm and 6 pm and most were hit-and-run thefts.