Increase in arrests of ships in Indonesian waters, risk of piracy off the coast of West Africa

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, on January 25th, 2023, issued a marine safety advisory about an increase in arrests of ships in Indonesian waters.

This marine safety advisory is addressed to all shipowners, operators, masters, nautical inspectors, and recognized organizations.

The arrests are primarily occurring in an area located to the east of the Singapore Straits and the Indonesian landmass to the east.

All vessels arrested were considered to be loitering by the local Indonesian naval authority. Loitering can apply to anchoring, drifting, engine repairs, fishing, survey work, and any other reason for a vessel to be in a particular area.

Following the arrest, vessels are accompanied to nearby Indonesian ports (typically Batam) by a naval presence. Upon arrival, vessel officers are taken ashore and interrogated by local naval officials.

Heavy penalties are then issued to operators before the vessels are released. It appears that the length of time the vessels are delayed depends upon the speed of negotiation between parties.

The locations of majority of arrests occurred within an arc of some 100 ̊  from base point Tanjung Berakit (1 ̊13 ̊N, 104 ̊34.5’E) on the northeast point of Pulau Bintan just east of Singapore Strait, between 020 ̊ T to 120 ̊ T and 65 nautical miles in any direction within that arc. These details are an approximation based on known facts related to arrest locations.

The Administrator strongly recommends that vessels exercise caution when planning to enter the areas described in this Marine Safety Advisory.

Additional guidance is best sought from P&I clubs and their local correspondent (Spica) prior to taking any action.

These arrests are considered to be Indonesian naval missions, therefore once arrested there are limited options to reach a resolution.

Maritime Security off the Coast of West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea

Also, The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator has issued a marine guideline on maritime security off the coast of West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea.

This Guideline issued on January 1st, 2023, provides information to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)-registered vessels operating in the waters off West Africa, particularly the Gulf of Guinea (GoG), to mitigate the risk of piracy, kidnapping, and armed robbery in this region.

This revision supersedes Rev. Apr/2020.

This Guideline should be taken into consideration by all RMI-flagged vessels operating in or near West Africa and the GoG.

Stowaways: Prevention of Unauthorized Access and Case Resolution

Moreover, The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator, on January 1st, 2023, issued a marine guideline regarding the prevention of unauthorized access and case resolution.

The Administrator has developed this Guideline to assist ship operators when developing a Ship Security Plan (SSP).

It is meant to be read in conjunction with RMI Marine Notice 2-011-16.

This document supersedes Rev. May/2021.

RMI-flagged vessels to which the ISPS Code applies should take this guidance into consideration. All other RMIvessels should refer to this guidance as appropriate.

For more information, please see the documents below (available only to subscribers):

RELEVANT DOCUMENTS:

Indonesian Naval Arrests of Commercial Vessels East of Singapore

Maritime Security off the Coast of West Africa, including the Gulf of Guinea

Stowaways: Prevention of Unauthorized Access and Case Resolution