• Two incidents were recorded globally during the reporting period

• East Africa HRA and Indian Ocean: No incidents were recorded during the reporting period
• West Africa HRA: No incidents were recorded during the reporting period.
• Americas: No incidents were recorded during the reporting period.

• Southeast Asia: Singapore Maritime Security Task Force set for restructuring

• West Africa: Lagos Secure Anchorage Area contract cancelled

• No incidents were recorded during the reporting period

• Continuous piracy threat off the Somali coast and extending to the Gulf of Aden and Gulf of Oman. Actors involved in the ongoing conflict in Yemen have targeted vessels transiting the Bab-el-Mandeb Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS); increased vigilance is advised during daylight hours

• High pressure dominates the weather pattern over the region producing mostly clear skies. Be aware of high winds from low intensity hurricanes forming within the Arabian Sea. Expect increased localised wind flow through the Strait of Hormuz due to funnelling effects. (Source: US ONI)

NSTR

• No incidents were recorded during the reporting period
• Continuous threat off Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Ghana in addition to the coastlines of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, the Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo

NSTR

• There were two incidents recorded during the reporting period

• Criminal boardings and boardings remain the primary threat to the region. However, the threat from Extended Duration Cargo Theft (EDCT) is present across the Malacca Strait and South China Sea

• Expect strong gusts in and around scattered thunderstorms throughout the Malacca Strait and the Andaman Sea due to funnelling effects and daytime heating (Source: US ONI

1. 08/02/2020. 1852 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. RECAAP. 01:15:34N - 104:09:49E. 6NM NE of Nongsa Point, Indonesia. An oil tanker was underway when the crew sighted one perpetrator in the engine room. The alarm was raised and the crew mustered, prompting a search for the perpetrator. An undisclosed number of valves were reportedly stolen. Incident reported to Singapore VTIS with all crew reported safe.
2. 08/02/2020. 1820 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. RECAAP. 01:15:46N - 104:08:04E. 5NM NE of Nongsa Point, Indonesia. Crew on board a transiting bulk carrier vessel spotted six perpetrators armed with knives in the engine room. When sighted, the perpetrators ran onto the deck and the crew mustered in the bridge. Following the incident, the vessel transited to Singapore where authorities conducted a search operation. No perpetrators were discovered and all crew reported safe. Incident reported to Singapore VTIS.

Due to delayed reporting the following incident was not included in the previous reports:

1. 02/02/2020. 2120 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. ICC-IMB / IMO. 01:04:29N - 103:53:38E. Dharma Senteosa Marindo Shipyard, Batam Island, Indonesia. Crewmembers on board a moored tug vessel spotted three unauthorised individuals on deck and raised the alarm. The crew confronted the perpetrators who were able to escape with the assistance of two additional individuals waiting in an unidentified vessel. The incident was reported to the Indonesian Marine Police who later boarded the tug for further investigation. The padlock to the store room was damaged and an unspecified amount of vessel equipment was reported stolen. All crewmembers were reported safe. Location approximate.
2. 29/01/2020. 0335 UTC. CRIMINAL BOARDING. IMO. 14:33:30N - 120:55:10E. Manila South Anchorage area, Manila, Philippines. Several crewmembers on board an anchored container vessel noticed several unauthorised individuals had broken into two storage rooms. The crewmembers conducted a search for the perpetrators but no one was found. One set of firefighting breathing devices, two sets of immersion and thermal protective suits, 28 casks of paint, 34 pieces of firehose equipment and 34 fire hydrant covers were reported stolen. The incident was later reported to VTMS Manila. The Philippine Coast Guard boarded the vessel for investigations and advised the master to strengthen the vessel's security measures.
   

On 3 February Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen stated that the national Maritime Security Task Force (MSTF) will undergo a restructure to better combat increased piracy in the Singapore Strait. The process will begin with a review, set to be completed in the coming months. The MSTF currently cooperates with maritime organisations, such as the Police Coast Guard and Maritime and Port Authority.

NYA Analysis: According to NYA MarTrack™ data, piracy in the Singapore Strait has recently increased, with 18 incidents – one suspicious approach, five boardings and 12 criminal boardings – recorded over the last three months. Over the reporting period, two criminal boardings were recorded within a 1NM radius from each other and within an hour time frame. Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan stated that the fight against piracy requires strong collaboration amongst all regional partners. This is a likely indicator of the broader challenge posed to maritime security in the region. It is highly likely that the majority of pirate actors originate from Indonesia and / or Malaysia, with all incidents recorded in the last three months occurring outside the Singaporean EEZ. This will likely exacerbate issues surrounding jurisdictional and operational coordination between littoral maritime authorities. Additionally, the upcoming review of the MSTF will likely result in a renewed push for better intelligence sharing between stakeholders and the bolstering of Singaporean naval assets; although, this is unlikely to reduce the threat of piracy in the region in the short term.

On 3 February Nigerian Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi announced the suspension of the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) contract. The SAA located 12NM SW off the coast of Lagos was operated by Ocean Marine Solutions Ltd (OMSL) who provided security vessels to be manned by the Nigerian Navy (NN). Following the dismantling of the SAA, the federal government aims to establish robust security infrastructure under the responsibility of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Navy and the Marine Police.

NYA Analysis: According to NYA MarTrack^TM data, the last 12 months have seen 13 piracy incidents recorded within the Lagos SAA. These incidents consist of 11 criminal boardings and two suspicious approaches. Despite a lack of piracy incidents during the reporting period, two criminal boardings and one suspicious approach were reported since the beginning of 2020, highlighting the ongoing piracy threat posed to the commercial vessels operating in the vicinity of Lagos. The cancellation of the SAA contract is likely linked to the NIMASA’s Deep Blue Project which aims to implement a new security infrastructure along Nigeria’s internal waterways. The project is organised around a collaboration between the NN and HLSI, a security firm set to provide training to navy personnel and vessels to be manned by Nigerian security forces. Following the reported suspension of the SAA, coupled with the transition period leading to the full implementation of the Deep Blue Project, it is likely that the threat to commercial vessels in the Lagos anchorage will further increase in the short to medium term.

The report’s findings are predictive and estimative. To communicate these findings clearly and in order to accurately compare threat levels, the report uses a variation of terminology used by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).

Piracy: NYA uses a modified version of the definition of piracy adopted by BMP5. For the purposes of this report, the term ‘piracy’ includes all violent and non-violent acts against vessels, her crew and cargo occurring either in internal waterways, territorial waters or deep offshore. Based on this definition, NYA classifies piracy incidents into six categories:

• Hijacking – Crew lost control of the vessel and / or pirates kidnapped at least one crewmember and / or passenger(s)
• Boarding – Pirates successfully board a vessel with the intent to hijack it but their attempt to take control of the vessel or kidnap crewmember(s) and / or passenger(s) failed
• Attack – Vessel was attacked with gunfire or RPG fire, no boarding was successfully completed
• Pirate Action Group (PAG) – Sighting or reporting of firearms and boarding equipment on board a suspicious vessel or sighting of a confirmed pirate mother ship
• Criminal boarding – Vessel boarded with criminal intent, theft does not have to occur
• Suspicious approach – Suspicious activity reported (i.e. a vessel was approached by unidentified skiff(s) with one or more persons on board)

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