A new global survey of leaders in the shipping industry cites data from the International Maritime Bureau showing that there were 137 piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships in 2025, up from 116 the previous year.
Most of these events are opportunistic, not sophisticated in execution. Even when they do not escalate further, they still present a direct risk to crew safety and operational continuity and still involve vessel boardings, attempted hijackings and armed confrontations.
Most of the 137 incidents recorded in 2025 occurred in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore, accounting for 80 of the total. This has been the status of the corridor for years and only reinforces its place as a persistent hotspot for opportunistic boarding and theft, not a passing trend.
The geography itself dictates the crime: narrow, congested shipping lanes require massive container ships and tankers to reduce speed, making them soft targets for local, boat-bound thieves.
There has also been a resurgence in pirate activity off Somalia and Yemen in recent months. In late 2025 and early
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