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ReCAAP reports three piracy incidents in April

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Piracy reporting organisation ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) reported that there were three minor incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia in April 2018, while there was no report of actual or attempted incidents involving the abduction of crew from ships while underway in the Sulu-Celebes Seas and waters off eastern Sabah. There was also no incident of hijacking of ships for theft of oil cargo during the period.

Of the three incidents, one was an incident of attempted piracy and two involved armed robbery against ships. These latter two were at Muara Berau anchorage in Samarinda, Kalimantan and while transiting the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) respectively.

ReCAAP ISC noted that there has been an increase in incidents in the SOMS during the period January to April 2018, with three compared to just one attempted incident in the same period in 2017.

In the Sulu-Celebes Sea area, ReCAAP ISC warned that the threat of abduction of crew is not totally eradicated and maintained its advisory to ships to re-route from the area where possible and otherwise exercise extra vigilance and report to the coordinating centres when transiting the area.

The anti-piracy body had also earlier given a specific warning of possible attacks on shipping off East Malaysia by the Philippines terrorist group Abu Sayaaf.