Attacks On Ships In Asia ‘s Waters Sees Steep Fall

A report by the ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) indicated a 64% decrease in incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in the first half of 2026. From January to June, 96 such cases were reported, while in 2026, only 35 such incidents were seen. This is the lowest number in this period since 2019.

The rate of such crime has notably reduced in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS), the South China Sea and Vietnam.

The incidents include armed robbery against ships in internal waters, territorial seas and archipelagic waters under coastal states’ jurisdiction.

ReCAAP ISC executive director Vijay Chafekar attributed the improvement in the straits to “the combination of effective preventive measures by the shipping industry and firm operational response by the law enforcement agencies of the littoral states”.

He said shipowner vigilance, stricter enforcement, and CCTV-assisted convictions that carried five-year sentences as a deterrent, have also helped.

Most such incidents were opportunistic thefts committed by perpetrators who often adopted a hit-and-run approach. Especially in the SOMS region, there was a significant decrease of 75% from 80 to 21 incidents. ReCAAP, the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia, is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote cooperation in this space.

Nearly 30% of Asia-bound container flows, energy shipments, and trans-shipment traffic, or 94,000 ships, pass through the Strait of Malacca yearly. It remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.

While the ReCAAP report says that 60% of all incidents in Asia during the first half of 2026 are from this region, there has still been a substantial decrease of 74% from the same period in 2025.

India is one of the founding members of RecAAP. Earlier this year, it also deepened its co-operation with Singapore’s Information Sharing Centre (ISC).