Piracy Incidents Persist in Singapore Strait as MSC and Panama-Flagged Ships Boarded

A recent surge in robbery incidents continues to affect vessels transiting the Singapore Strait, with a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) containership among the latest two ships reported to have been boarded by intruders.

Despite brief periods of calm, the frequency of boarding and robbery cases in the Singapore and Malacca Straits shows no signs of easing. ReCAAP's monitoring efforts have raised alarms again after two new incidents were reported on Sunday and Monday following a two-week lull.

One of the latest cases involved an MSC feeder vessel, MSC Tara III (33,232 DWT/3,300 TEU), deployed on a new intra-Asia service. ReCAAP reported the boarding incident occurred around 5 a.m. on Sunday, April 20, while the ship was sailing approximately 5.4 nautical miles from Pulau Kukup in the eastbound lane of the Singapore Strait. Three unidentified individuals were spotted on the upper deck, prompting the captain to sound a general alarm and gather the crew. The intruders appeared to be armed. All crew members were unharmed, and no one was abducted. This incident marks the first reported case since April 7.

Tracking data shows MSC Tara III has recently called at several major Chinese ports, including Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Yantian, and Shekou.

Less than 24 hours later, another vessel—the Panama-flagged tanker Aquaris (106,500 DWT)—was boarded in nearly the same location, about 2.5 nautical miles from Pulau Kukup, also in the eastbound lane. Again, three intruders were discovered, this time wielding knives and entering the engine control room. No injuries or theft were reported.

Earlier in April, the product tanker Hafnia Hong Kong also reported being boarded by three individuals. In that incident, one air compressor and four padlocks were stolen. More recently, SITC Yuncheng reported missing lashing tools, while Kota Halus reported the theft of a portable welding machine.

Since the beginning of 2025, ReCAAP has documented 41 incidents involving vessels in or near the Singapore and Malacca Straits. In comparison, only 49 such incidents have been reported across the entire Southeast Asian region year-to-date.

At the end of Q1, ReCAAP highlighted that 35 of those cases occurred in the Singapore and Malacca Straits alone, up sharply from 11 in the first quarter of 2024.

The Asia-Pacific maritime authority is urging littoral states to step up patrols and surveillance in their waters. It also called for faster responses to ship reports, improved coordination, and greater intelligence sharing on maritime crime groups. With piracy still on the rise, ships are advised to maintain high vigilance while transiting the region.

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a specialized division of the International Chamber of Commerce, echoed these concerns in its Q1 report, designating Southeast Asia as a piracy hotspot and calling for urgent action to halt the recent wave of incidents.