The Singapore Strait is witnessing a troubling surge in piracy. According to a report published on 9 July 2025 by the ICC Commercial Crime Services, the number of armed attacks on cargo ships recorded in the first six months of the year is the highest since 2020. The Piracy Reporting Centre of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has issued a stark warning: the safety of ships and their crews along this route, which carries around thirty per cent of global trade, is under serious threat.
A total of ninety incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported during the semester, with the vast majority occurring in the Singapore Strait. Of these, seventy-nine resulted in successful boardings, six were unsuccessful, four involved the hijacking of the vessel, and in one instance the assailants opened fire.
The stretch of sea between the Malaysian peninsula and the Indonesian island of Batam remains the most critical area, accounting for fifty-seven incidents – sixty-three per cent of the total – with pirates managing to board in over ninety-five per cent of cases. Alarmingly, these criminal groups have shown the capability to target even large vessels, including oil tankers and container ships exceeding 150,000 deadweight tonnes. In more than half of the incidents in this area (thirty-four out of fifty-seven), the attackers were armed with knives or firearms, significantly increasing the risk to crew safety.
This situation raises serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing security systems and the real deterrent power of current measures. The consequences for seafarers are already evident on a global scale. In the first half of 2025, there have been forty crew members taken hostage, sixteen kidnapped, five threatened, three assaulted and a further three injured worldwide. Specifically in the Singapore Strait, the figures include thirteen hostages, five direct threats, three injuries and one physical assault.
Although the phenomenon is concentrated in the Asian strait, it is not an isolated issue, and other regions remain under close watch. The Gulf of Guinea, while reporting fewer overall incidents, still accounts for eighty-seven per cent of all maritime crew kidnappings globally. In Somalia, despite the absence of reported incidents since April 2025, the IMB warns that the seasonal decline in monsoon winds could facilitate a renewed wave of attacks.
In response to these developments, IMB Director Michael Howlett expressed deep concern, stating, “This increase in incidents is deeply worrying as it endangers the safety of our seafarers and the security of international trade.” He urged all vessels transiting high-risk areas to adopt enhanced vigilance measures and to promptly report any suspicious activity or incidents to the Piracy Reporting Centre, which operates around the clock.
