SINGAPORE: Ships in the Singapore Strait were boarded by suspected robbers in 31 incidents in 2019 – a four-year high, according to a maritime information sharing centre on Wednesday (Jan 15). 

There were only 17 incidents from 2016 to 2018, although this peaked at 99 in 2015.

Nine of the incidents last year involved armed perpetrators, with crew reporting injuries in one case, said the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) Information Sharing Centre. 

In two of the cases, crew reported being tied up while two other cases involved crew being threatened with a gun or knife.  

Items ranging from a gold chain to engine spares and scrap metal were stolen in 19 of the incidents. Analysts have said there is a black market for scrap metal, with the price of materials like iron and copper increasing over the years.

ReCAAP centre’s executive director Masafumi Kuroki told reporters he hopes Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia improve their sharing of information and enforcement in the strait.

“The message is to ask the littoral states to enhance their surveillance and patrol in the Singapore Strait because of this rapid increase of incidents,” he said.

“The Singapore and Malacca straits are very important for international navigation, therefore the responsibility is on all the littoral states to keep the straits safe and secure.”

In one of the more serious incidents of 2019, six perpetrators armed with knives boarded the tanker Jag Lalit on Dec 20 about 6.5km north of Indonesia’s Pulau Nongsa.

The perpetrators punched a crew member in the face and stole a gold chain from the chief engineer, leaving the latter with bruises on the neck.

The ReCAAP centre said the Taiwan-bound tanker diverted to Singapore for the crew’s safety, adding that the Singapore Police Coast Guard boarded the ship for investigation and confirmed that crew members were safe.

WHERE THE INCIDENTS HAPPENED

The 2019 incidents took place along the entire length of the Singapore Strait in the eastbound and westbound lanes of the traffic separation scheme, which ensures vessels going in the same direction stay in a specific lane.

Mr Kuroki said it was difficult to say whose territorial waters each incident occurred in, pointing out that both the ships and perpetrators were constantly crossing borders. “It’s a transnational crime,” he said.

But a maritime expert said the 2019 incidents took place in Indonesian waters. Principal defence analyst at Jane’s Ridzwan Rahmat said this is based on the 1973 and 2014 border agreements between Singapore and Indonesia.

REASON FOR THE RISE

Assistant director of research at the ReCAAP centre Lee Yin Mui said the increase in incidents could be due to complacency by crew members and a decrease in enforcement by the authorities.

“Enforcement needs to be stepped up,” she said, pointing out that the number of incidents dropped significantly in 2016 following reports that Indonesian authorities had arrested some of the perpetrators in the past two years. “It’s a form of deterrence.”

READ: Armed perpetrators boarded large merchant ships in Singapore Strait four times in last two months

Mr Ridzwan attributed the spike to a lack of enforcement by the Indonesian navy as it redeployed its fleet of patrol boats across different naval bases from end-2018 through most of 2019.

“There is a very close relation between what I think is the absence of patrol vessels that was happening because of the reshuffling and the spike in incidents right now,” he said.

READ: Indonesia deploys 4 additional warships to Natuna amid standoff with Chinese vessels

Another factor, he said, is that Indonesia is committing its ships to the territorial stand-off with China in the Natuna Sea, leaving a gap in the Singapore Strait.

“The fleet that oversees the Strait of Singapore also oversees the Natuna Sea,” he said. “If you were the Indonesian naval commander, where would you be prioritising your fleet?”

Mr Ridzwan said he expects to see an “elevated number” of incidents in 2020 as the stand-off is still ongoing. “I suspect there will still be a lack of resources committed to the Singapore Strait,” he said.

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Mr Kuroki said shipping companies are increasingly concerned about the large number of incidents, but noted that the Singapore Strait is safer than areas like the Sulu-Celebes Sea near Sabah and the Philippines, where reports of crew members getting abducted are not uncommon. 

From 2016 to 2019, the area saw 19 actual and 11 attempted abduction cases.

“I think the littoral states are enhancing regional cooperation,” he said, pointing out that the number of incidents in 2019 is still an improvement from 2015.

WHAT IS BEING DONE?

Singapore’s Defence Ministry (MINDEF) on Wednesday said representatives from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand are meeting in Singapore until Thursday to discuss the “increased incidence” of sea robberies in the Singapore Strait.

Under the Malacca Straits Patrol, these countries have since 2004 shared intelligence, conducted sea patrols and combined maritime air patrols to keep the Malacca and Singapore straits safe.

“Member states will discuss … possible measures to strengthen information-sharing and operational coordination to deter and disrupt such sea robberies within their respective territorial waters in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore,” MINDEF said.

Singapore’s Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan also met ReCAAP officials on Wednesday to express his concerns regarding the recent incidents and discuss possible cooperation initiatives with regional players.

Mr Khaw said the Straits of Malacca and Singapore is a busy waterway and an important lifeline to many countries, adding that the region is developing a cruise industry with “huge potential”.

“Recent sea robbery incidents in our vicinity are troublesome,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday. “Ensuring maritime safety is therefore a priority for all. The key is regional cooperation.”

WHAT MORE CAN BE DONE?

Mr Ridzwan said Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia can work on implementing a “hot pursuit arrangement” that allows patrol ships to cross maritime boundaries when chasing perpetrators.

“When the Singapore coast guard sees the perpetrator, for example, there is only a certain distance it can chase,” he said. “The moment the perpetrator crosses the territorial line, it stops chasing, no matter what happens.”

READ: Piracy and armed sea robberies on the rise in Asia, Singapore Straits

Mr Ridzwan said the countries have signed high-level agreements on the issue, but they have not been translated into standard operating procedures on the ground.

“We are going against an enemy that does not respect maritime boundaries,” he added. “But our law enforcement agencies have to respect maritime boundaries.”

SINGAPORE: The number of dengue cases in Singapore has increased since the beginning of the year and it could go up further, with the Aedes mosquito population remaining high.

There were 345 cases reported in the second week of 2020, following a five-week decline from mid-November to December last year.

Warmer temperatures may lead to further proliferation of the Aedes aegypti mosquito, which spreads the dengue virus, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a news release on Wednesday (Jan 15).

It has also detected an increase in a different strain of the dengue virus, which fewer people would have immunity to.

These factors may lead to case numbers going beyond current levels in 2020, NEA said.

A total of 15,998 cases were reported last year, almost five times the number for 2018. However, the figure is lower than the annual numbers reported in 2013 and 2014.

“The surge in dengue cases in 2019 may be attributable to several factors – including a high Aedes aegypti mosquito population, warmer weather and low population immunity,” NEA said.

READ: 22 new dengue clusters emerge across Singapore over two days 

READ: Bigger Aedes mosquito population identified as key reason for surge in dengue cases

DENGUE-3 DETECTED IN MORE CLUSTERS

The less common dengue-3 serotype has been detected in more clusters across the island, including at the large clusters of Jalan Bangau near Yio Chu Kang, Cashew Road in Bukit Panjang and Jalan Paras in Chai Chee.

“As Singapore has not seen a dengue-3 outbreak in the last three decades, the population immunity for dengue-3 is low and therefore more susceptible to transmission of the virus,” NEA said.

Since 2016, Singapore has seen mostly cases of the dengue-2 serotype.

READ: More mosquitoes or mutating virus? Experts have different views on dengue spike

“It is thus critical that all residents and stakeholders work closely together with NEA to break the dengue transmission in these clusters, and curtail the spread of the virus,” the agency said.

ACTION AGAINST MOSQUITO BREEDING                           

As of Monday, there were 107 active dengue clusters in Singapore, according to data on NEA’s website.

The largest, with 154 cases so far, was around Elias Road in Pasir Ris. There were also large clusters located in Yio Chu Kang.

In some of the large dengue clusters, mosquito breeding has been detected multiple times in the same homes, NEA said.

“We urge everyone to work with NEA and do our part to remove stagnant water from our environment, to deprive the mosquitoes of their breeding habitats and break the dengue transmission chain,” it said.

NEA will not hesitate to take action against residents and contractors for any mosquito breeding found in their premises, it said.

The agency also reminded residents to be vigilant during the coming Chinese New Year holidays to ensure their homes do not become breeding sites. 

This includes removing stagnant water in ornamental plants, properly disposing of rubbish and making sure their homes are mosquito-proofed before travelling.

SINGAPORE: Swedish furniture retailer IKEA is recalling its Troligtvis line of travel mugs over concerns that the product may migrate excessive levels of chemicals.

The company urged customers who have bought the Troligtvis travel mugs marked “Made in India” to stop using them and return them to any store for a full refund.

No proof of purchase, such as a receipt, is required.

All IKEA markets are affected, except the US, Canada and the Dominican Republic, the retailer said in a press release on Wednesday (Jan 15).

The beige version of the mugs have been sold in Singapore since August 2019, while the green, pink and blue versions have been on shelves since October 2019.

“IKEA takes product safety very seriously,” the company said in its release.

“IKEA recently received test reports showing that the travel mug may migrate levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP) exceeding the prescribed limits,” it added.

Dibutyl phthalate is commonly used as a plasticiser, and also used as an additive to adhesives or printing ink.

Many countries have expressed concerns over phthalates because of their toxicity and the evidence of human and environmental exposure to these chemicals.

“People are exposed to phthalates by eating and drinking foods that have been in contact with containers and products containing phthalates,” said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Some types of phthalates have affected the reproductive system of laboratory animals,” it added.

IKEA said in its release that it has prohibited the use of phthalates in food contact products since “many years ago”.

“The investigation has shown that travel mugs marked Made in India may be affected and IKEA is now recalling the mugs in spite of a very low risk of any immediate negative health effect,” the company said.

“IKEA apologises for any inconvenience this recall may cause.”