The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against ships in Asia's (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC) recently issued its 2025 annual report on piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia.
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 per cent increase over the 107 incidents reported in 2024.
Of the 132 incidents recorded, 127 were actual incidents and five were attempted 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. There was also a 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 per cent 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 per cent 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.
For the fifth 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 January 17, 2020.
In January 2025, the Philippine Coast Guard downgraded the threat level of "Abduction of crew for ransom in the Sulu-Celebes Seas" from “moderate low” to “low,” meaning, "no information or monitored activities suggest an impending attack; hence incidents are not expected to occur."
“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," said Vijay D Chafekar, ReCAAP ISC Executive Director.
"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."
Chafekar said that 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."