IMO Piracy Report: Six ships attacked in Malacca Strait during April

International Maritime Organization (IMO) has published its Monthly Piracy Report for the month of April, where piracy incidents are presented.

The following acts of piracy and armed robbery are allegedly committed against ships reported by IMO Member States or international organizations in consultative status.

#1 In international waters

The incident: Twelve pirates armed with guns attacked, boarded, and hijacked a tanker underway. All communications with the tanker were lost. The
pirates self-navigated the tanker. On being notified of the incident, the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre immediately informed the regional and French authorities in the Gulf of Guinea.

A missing tanker message was broadcast to all ships to lookout for the tanker. Position updates received from all sources were communicated with the relevant authorities for their coordination.

On 15 April, a French naval asset located the tanker and the tanker escorted to a safe port by an Ivory Coast Guard patrol boat. The pirates had destroyed the navigational equipment, handcuffed all crew with cable tie and stolen part of the cargo before escaping. All crew reported safe.

Resolution: French naval asset located the tanker and the tanker escorted to a safe port by an Ivory Coast Guard patrol boat.

#2 Malacca Strait

Six ships were attacked by pirates in Malacca Strait during April. The Strait of Malacca is considered one of Asia’s most critical waterways, connecting China, India, and Southeast Asia. The Strait is very risky, as a total of 55 incidents were reported in the SS in 2022, according to ReCAAP ISC Annual Report 2022.

This accounts for 65% (55 of 84 incidents) of the total number of incidents in Asia. Compared to 2021, there was an increase of six incidents in the SS for the same period in 2022.

All incidents were reported by ReCAAP ISC via ReCAAP Focal Point (Singapore). Luckily, there were no casualties in any of the attacks.

The ships under attack were: