Pirates and armed robbers in Asia were responsible for 10 incidents in November, down from 17 in November 2010.
The trend was dubbed by the Singapore-based Regional Co-operation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia as “an improvement in the situation of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia”.
ReCAAP’s monthly report said the improvement occurred mainly in the Arabian Sea and at ports and anchorages in Indonesia.
In November last year, there were three incidents and five attempted incidents in the Arabian Sea, as opposed to none in November 2011. Likewise, last year there were six incidents reported in Indonesia, while this year there were two.
Piracy and armed robbery may have been down in the region last month, but it is far from eradicated.
On December 13, according to ReCAAP, armed thugs boarded RM Jaya , a tug registered in Kiribati with a barge in tow, from a 7 m craft with a green canopy.
Wielding knives, the robbers ransacked the wheelhouse and cabin after restricting the crew to the mess. The robbers made off with the crew’s belongings and cash.
