The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) issued its 2025 annual report on piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia today at the 17 th Nautical Forum held in Singapore. The forum was attended by over 120 participants from shipping companies, shipping associations, government and law enforcement agencies, diplomatic missions and academia.

The key highlights of the annual report, covering the period of January to December 2025, are as follows:

Situation of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships in Asia – 2025

▪ A total of 132 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia were reported to ReCAAP ISC from January to December 2025. This marks a 23% increase over the 107 incidents reported in 2024. Of the 132 incidents recorded, 127 were actual incidents and five were attempted1 incidents.

▪ The Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) continues to be an area of concern, with 108 sea robbery incidents reported in 2025. This is the highest number of incidents recorded in the SOMS during the 19-year period from 2007 to 2025.

▪ Fewer incidents were reported in ports and anchorages in Bangladesh, Indonesia and Philippines in 2025 compared to 2024. Marginal increase in the number of incidents in India’s anchorages.

▪ The incidents in Asia in 2025 were of lower severity compared to 2024. Of the 127 actual incidents in 2025, 53% were classified as CAT 4 (lowest severity), where the perpetrators were not reported to have carried any weapon and the crew were not injured. In comparison, 44% of the actual incidents in 2024 were CAT 4. In addition, there were no CAT 1 incidents (highest severity) reported in 2025, compared to two CAT 1 incidents in 2024. Please refer to Annex A for ReCAAP ISC’s methodology in classifying incidents.

▪ For the 5th consecutive year, there has been no report of incident of abduction of crew in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off Eastern Sabah. The last incident occurred on 17 January 2020. In January 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard downgraded the threat level of ‘Abduction of crew for ransom in the SuluCelebes Seas’ from “Moderate Low” to “Low” meaning ‘No information or
monitored activities suggest an impending attack; hence incidents are not expected to occur’.
Area of Concern – Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS)
▪ A total of 108 incidents (104 actual and four attempted) were reported in the busy and narrow waterways of the SOMS in 2025. This is a 74% increase over the 62 incidents reported in the SOMS in 2024. The incidents were mostly opportunistic theft committed during hours of darkness between 8pm and 6am. In the majority of incidents, the crew was not injured.

▪ Approximately 87% of the incidents in the SOMS in 2025 occurred in the first seven months of the year (January to July). There was a significant decline in the number of incidents in the SOMS from August to December 2025, following the arrests of perpetrators by the Indonesian authorities in July and August 2025, with evidence from the CCTV footages. Please refer to the chart below for detailed statistics.

▪ In about half the incidents reported in the SOMS, nothing was stolen. The remaining incidents reported stolen items such as engine spares, scrap metal, unsecured items, ship stores and personal belongings of crew.

▪ Over half of the incidents in the SOMS occurred onboard bulk carriers (52%), with the remaining incidents occurring onboard tankers (23%), container ships (10%), tug boats towing barges (12%) and general cargo ships (3%).

“The sharp increase in number of incidents in the SOMS in 2025 does not indicate a corresponding increase in threat to maritime trade passing through the SOMS. The higher number of incidents largely corresponds to minor petty theft cases. In fact, there were no severe CAT 1 incidents in the SOMS in 2025,” said ReCAAP ISC Executive Director, Mr Vijay D Chafekar.

“While the increase in sea robbery incidents in the SOMS highlights the continuing security challenges faced by ships transiting the busy waterway, the decline in incidents following the arrest of perpetrators by the Riau Islands Regional Police illustrates the deterrent effect of effective enforcement. To help reduce the number of incidents, the ReCAAP ISC would like to urge shipping companies to report all incidents of theft and unauthorised boarding to the nearest costal state authority. Where possible, shipping industry should provide CCTV footage of perpetrators as evidence when making incident reports, so as to assist law enforcement agencies to swiftly arrest and prosecute the suspects,” he added.
Source: ReCAAP