Marshall Islands: Security incidents in the Singapore Strait

The Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator has issued a ship security advisory warning about security incidents in the Singapore Strait.

Recent Incidents

With the most recent incident occurring on 7 August, there have now been eight reported cases of armed robbery against ships involving the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)-flagged vessels in the Singapore Strait in 2023.

Photographic evidence of perpetrators carrying out these incidents in the Singapore Strait is also provided by the Information Fusion Centre (IFC) Singapore in Shipping Advisory 1/23.

Risk Mitigation Measures

The RMI Maritime Administrator (the “Administrator”) reminds all vessels transiting the Singapore Strait to adopt the following basic protective measures, as advised by IFC Singapore:

.1 Maintain an all-around lookout from an elevated position, with a focus on suspicious small craft(s) approaching or in proximity of the ship’s aft.
.2 Turn on weather deck lighting around the accommodation block and rear-facing lighting on the poop deck.
.3 Sound the ship’s alarm when suspicious small craft(s) are sighted.

The IFC also encourages ships to provide photographic or video evidence to educate the industry on the modus operandi of the perpetrators and help the authorities with their investigation.

Additional IFC Resources and Guidance

The IFC Singapore website provides informative threat assessment and response tools for ships transiting the Asian region, including:

.1 a Bridge Card to outline the Voluntary Community of Reporting (VCR) scheme;
.2 recommended shipboard protection measures;
.3 weekly, monthly, and annual Incident Reports; and
.4 infographics to help visualize incidents in the region.

Contact Information

All security incidents and suspicious activities must be reported by RMI-flagged vessels to the Administrator, as per §12.5 of RMI Marine Notice 2-011-39.