The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre recorded 132 piracy and armed robbery incidents in Asia in 2025, marking a 23% increase from 107 cases in 2024. The Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) remained the main hotspot, accounting for 82% of all incidents (108 cases). This represents a 74% year-on-year rise and the highest level since monitoring began in 2007.
ReCAAP highlights that about 87% of SOMS incidents occurred in the first seven months of 2025. Following the arrest of perpetrators by Indonesian authorities in July–August, the situation improved significantly, with a sharp decline from August to December. Only 12 incidents were reported in Q4, the lowest quarterly figure since 2021.
Regionally, most incidents took place in internal, archipelagic and territorial waters (130 out of 132), with only two cases on the high seas. ReCAAP also reports fewer incidents in Bangladesh, Indonesia (outside SOMS), and the Philippines, while India saw a marginal increase.
No crew abductions were reported in the Sulu-Celebes Seas in 2025, continuing a five-year trend. The last abduction in the area occurred in January 2020, although ReCAAP notes that risks remain.
Most cases in SOMS were low-level thefts, with CAT 3 and CAT 4 incidents forming the majority, and a smaller share of more serious CAT 2 cases compared with 2024.
Despite the improvement in the second half of the year, ReCAAP warns that SOMS remains the key area of concern and urges ships to maintain heightened vigilance, report incidents promptly, and follow security advisories when transiting the region.
