Is Piracy Making a Comeback? 80 Piracy and Armed Robbery Cases in Strategic Straits

Kokcha News Agency: The Malacca Strait, a strategic trade corridor located between Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia, connects the Indian Ocean to the Pacific via the South China Sea. Approximately 90,000 commercial vessels pass through these narrow waters annually, accounting for 60% of global maritime trade.

According to the report, the majority of the incidents occurred in the Phillip Channel of the Singapore Strait, where ships are forced to slow down due to the narrow passage. Most of the cases were opportunistic and non-confrontational, with crew members generally unharmed.

None of the incidents in 2025 were classified as “Category 1,” which involves armed conflict or hostage-taking. In 90% of the cases, no injuries were reported, with only one sailor sustaining minor injuries. Bulk carriers were the most targeted (52%), followed by tankers (24%) and container ships (11%).

Experts Debate the Causes:
Experts suggest that the increase in piracy may be linked to the rerouting of commercial ships to the Malacca Strait due to Houthi attacks in the Red Sea. Additionally, many pirate groups are connected to low-level criminal networks operating from Indonesia’s Riau and Cula islands.

Pirates typically use small wooden boats called sampans to approach ships at night, using long hooks and ropes to board the vessels. They also leverage technology, such as AIS (Automatic Identification System) data, to track ship locations.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has described the rise in piracy as “concerning” and called on all ships to adhere to security protocols and report incidents immediately.

Piracy and armed robbery cases in the Malacca and Singapore Straits have surged in 2025, with experts pointing to rerouted shipping routes and low-level criminal networks as potential causes.