Pirates hijacked two ships in the waters of Indonesia within 24 hours
Pirate attacks have occurred again in the waters of Indonesia. Two merchant ships were attacked in succession within 24 hours.
Less than 24 hours later, another crude oil tanker in the same sea area suffered a similar attack. At present, this area has been marked as a new hotspot for piracy activities.
At 17:30 local time the next day (April 20th), a Panamanian crude oil tanker was attacked by pirates while sailing in the same course. The incident occurred only 4.5 nautical miles (about 8.3 kilometers) from Pulau Terung Island, and three pirates armed with knives successfully boarded the ship. It was reported that the unnamed oil tanker was traveling at a speed of 10.3 knots and had a freeboard height of 6.3 meters at the time of the incident.
Ambrey cautioned that low-freeboard (less than 10 meters) vessels navigating in the Strait of Singapore face higher safety risks. The maritime security company suggests that crew members take the following preventive measures: blockade living areas and cargo hold access, organize joint deck patrols, and avoid direct conflicts with criminals.
Pirate activities in the Singapore Strait have recently shown a significant regional shift and a sharp increase in numbers. According to data released by the Information Convergence Centre (IFC) of the Ministry of Defence of Singapore in early March, 21 attempted robberies occurred in the sea area from January to February 2025, a significant increase of 250% compared to the 6 cases in the same period of 2024. It is worth noting that 16 of them (accounting for 76%) were concentrated in a confirmed hotspot area northwest of Kapalageni Island in the western part of the Phillips Strait. This distribution feature breaks the traditional pattern in recent years that pirate attacks have mainly been concentrated near Bintan Island in the eastern section of the Singapore Strait.
Less than 24 hours later, another crude oil tanker in the same sea area suffered a similar attack. At present, this area has been marked as a new hotspot for piracy activities.
At 17:30 local time the next day (April 20th), a Panamanian crude oil tanker was attacked by pirates while sailing in the same course. The incident occurred only 4.5 nautical miles (about 8.3 kilometers) from Pulau Terung Island, and three pirates armed with knives successfully boarded the ship. It was reported that the unnamed oil tanker was traveling at a speed of 10.3 knots and had a freeboard height of 6.3 meters at the time of the incident.
Ambrey cautioned that low-freeboard (less than 10 meters) vessels navigating in the Strait of Singapore face higher safety risks. The maritime security company suggests that crew members take the following preventive measures: blockade living areas and cargo hold access, organize joint deck patrols, and avoid direct conflicts with criminals.
Pirate activities in the Singapore Strait have recently shown a significant regional shift and a sharp increase in numbers. According to data released by the Information Convergence Centre (IFC) of the Ministry of Defence of Singapore in early March, 21 attempted robberies occurred in the sea area from January to February 2025, a significant increase of 250% compared to the 6 cases in the same period of 2024. It is worth noting that 16 of them (accounting for 76%) were concentrated in a confirmed hotspot area northwest of Kapalageni Island in the western part of the Phillips Strait. This distribution feature breaks the traditional pattern in recent years that pirate attacks have mainly been concentrated near Bintan Island in the eastern section of the Singapore Strait.
