At a Glance
Indonesian Marine Police initiate effective anti-piracy patrols
77% of Southeast Asia’s vessel boardings in Q3 on Singapore Strait
Activism during Q2 and Q3 illustrates the potential for related cargo operation interruptions
Against the backdrop of continued regional geopolitical tensions, welcome progress in the form of the suppression of vessel boardings was seen on the Singapore Strait, while union action threatened cargo operations in India.
By the end of Q2, a surge in vessel boardings was approaching levels not seen since 2015, when 23 boardings were recorded in August of that year.
This year, the surge that began in November 2024 peaked at 19 boardings during May before dropping to 17 in June. At the start of Q3, the first nine days of July saw 13 boardings, putting the month on track to break the 2015 record. That adverse outcome was prevented by several factors, of which the actions taken by the Indonesian Marine Police (IMP) were pivotal, in the form of a two-fold initiative.
Beginning on 9 July, the IMP began arresting suspected perpetrators of armed robbery and theft on the strait. By the end of the month, members of two gangs had been rounded up, and their connection in Jakarta, who was instrumental in converting stolen engine spares to cash, was also detained.
Simultaneously, the IMP enhanced patrols on the Phillip Channel, the site of the majority of the Singapore Strait vessel boardings. Not only did the patrols act as a deterrent, but IMP personnel also monitored VHF Channel 16 for any indications of vessels reporting suspicious activity that could indicate boardings about to happen, as well as actual boardings.
The efforts of the IMP led not only to an absence of reported boardings following the arrests for the remainder of the month, but also to a continued sharp reduction in August when only two boardings were reported. Of these, one involved a bulk carrier on the Phillip Channel while the other involved a barge under tow farther to the east, beyond the range of the IMP patrols.
By the end of Q3, the downward trend continued into September with only one reported boarding of a bulk carrier on the Philip Channel.
While the IMP has played a key role in curbing boardings in the strait, other contributing factors have also influenced recent trends. Unaddressed maritime crimes tend to persist and escalate, a pattern evident in the Singapore Strait over recent months. One persistent challenge for law enforcement has been the evidentiary gap, which continues to hinder the prosecution of offenders. Strengthening investigative capacity and evidence collection remains critical to sustaining deterrence.
This situation changed in June and July thanks to CCTV footage filmed on vessels that were boarded. With CCTV equipment now more common on cargo ships, imagery was collected and passed to the IMP’s Batam post.
This evidence led to the immediate arrest of one perpetrator identified in the footage, which then led to the arrest of his co-conspirators and then to the arrests of members of a second gang.
Industry stakeholders acting directly with the IMP alongside other ship operators who made the evidence available via regional intermediaries played a key role in these arrests, as did the organisations facilitating the submission of the evidence.
When acknowledging the role of these stakeholders in facilitating the arrests, the IMP noted that members of a third gang remain at large; therefore, continued vigilance during strait transits is essential.
The suppression of boardings on the Singapore Strait resulted in an overall 78% reduction of reported incidents in Asia from 110 during Q2 to 24 in Q3. Beyond the Singapore Strait boardings, one boarding was reported on the South China Sea off Sepangar Bay at Kota Kinabalu, and farther north, where three incidents were reported at Batangas. One incident was reported in the Java Sea at the Balongan Anchorage, and three reports involved boardings on the Bay of Bengal at Chittagong. These 8 boardings that involved acts of theft and armed robbery represented 33% of boardings in Asia during Q3.
Activism in the form of strikes and protests is generally not known to significantly impact port operations in Asia; however, there are exceptions. This was illustrated during Q2 when the Port of Chittagong experienced significant disruption due to a transport workers’ strike triggered by clashes over vehicle access at a nearby park. The strike halted container movement for three days, delaying over 5,000 containers and causing congestion across private depots and port yards. The strike led to measurable delays in export schedules.
In contrast, and more typical for the region, in Q3, a one-day strike staged by dock workers at the Port of Mumbai to protest the Major Port Authorities (Amendment) Bill and asset monetisation policies took place. Despite this action, cargo operations remained largely unaffected due to reliance on private stevedores.
While coverage of the maritime security landscape in Asia tends to focus on geopolitical manoeuvrings in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, these long-standing military exercises involving regional navies and air forces alongside personnel deployed by countries well beyond the region continue to have no significant impact on the operations of the merchant fleet. To date, except for the fishing fleet and rare insignificant consequences for the offshore sector (generally limited to operational delays and minor damage to equipment), cargo and passenger vessels have not been impacted. A core objective of regional naval exercises, whether unilateral or multilateral, is the preservation of freedom of navigation, an outcome that remains consistently realised.
During Q3, China maintained pressure on both Taiwan and the Philippines through military manoeuvres, diplomatic protests, and strategic posturing. China’s activities around Taiwan included continued airspace incursions and the revelation of covert oil infrastructure near Taiwan-occupied Pratas Island, prompting Taipei to publicly condemn Beijing’s “illegal deployment” within its exclusive economic zone.
