This was revealed by the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre (ISC), The Straits Times reported.

According to the Singapore daily, the number of piracy and armed robbery cases on ships rose to 108 incidents last year, the highest since 2007.

“This represents a 74% increase from the 62 incidents reported in the two straits for 2024,” ReCAAP said yesterday.

It added that most of the incidents were cases of opportunistic theft that left most of the ships’ crew uninjured.

ReCAAP executive director Vijay D Chafekar said the increase in incidents in 2025 “does not indicate a corresponding increase in threat to maritime trade passing through the two straits”.

“The higher number of incidents largely corresponds to minor petty theft cases,” he was quoted as saying.

In almost half the cases, nothing was taken despite the vessels being boarded by unknown persons. Engine spares were stolen in 31% of the incidents. A smaller percentage reported personal belongings, cash and ship stores being stolen.

Over half of the incidents happened to bulk carriers or vessels carrying unpacked cargo, mostly in the dead of night, according to ST.