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From 17 to 21 November, the IHEDN is organising its International Session for the Indo-Pacific (SIIP), which will bring together officers and senior civil servants from various countries in the region in Paris. Among the most strategic locations in this part of the world, the Strait of Malacca is notorious for the frequent acts of piracy against commercial vessels, the number of which increased in the first half of 2025.
The reality, however, is more complex. Firstly, this phenomenon affects the Strait of Malacca (930 kilometres long) and its south-eastern outlet, the Strait of Singapore (114 kilometres), both of which form a corridor linking the Indian Ocean and the China Sea, between the Malay peninsula to the north and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the south. This seaway, one of the busiest in the world, is known by the acronym SOMS, Straits of Malacca and Singapore).
On the other hand, to speak of piracy is inappropriate, as it is legally a matter of brigandage at sea. «Piracy has a precise definition in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),» says Commander Xavier Courbey, French liaison officer at the Information Fusion Center (IFC) in Singapore:
«Article 101 of this Convention defines piracy as any unlawful act of violence, detention or depredation committed by the crew or passengers of a private ship or aircraft, for private ends, against another ship, aircraft, persons or property on board, when it takes place on the high seas or in areas beyond the jurisdiction of any State.
There is therefore an essential geographical dimension: acts occurring in the territorial waters of a State are not considered to be acts of piracy within the meaning of international law. In the Straits of Singapore and Malacca, incidents occurring in territorial waters are more akin to «brigandage at sea», armed robbery at sea). »
80,000 TO 100,000 SHIPS PASS THROUGH EVERY YEAR
The territorial waters of the SOMS, which come under the jurisdiction of three States (Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore), are crossed by thousands of ships from all over the world - between 80,000 and 100,000 each year.
Created in 2009 by the Singapore navy, the IFC brings together 26 liaison officers from 20 countries to promote the exchange of information between the various state organisations (navies, police forces, coastguards). The centre focuses on all forms of maritime safety and security in the SOMS (immigration, accidents at sea, fishing, cyber, trafficking, theft, pollution, etc.).
France is very active in regional organisations, with Commander Courbey also representing the European Union at the IFC, and fulfilling the same role at the Regional Coordination Centre for Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (RHCC) in Singapore. Another liaison officer from the French Navy is posted to the IFC-IOR (Indian Ocean Region) in India, since its opening in 2019. This centre carries out a similar mission for the Indian Ocean, and exchanges reports with the IFC in Singapore.
Since 2006, the city-state has also been home to an organisation dedicated solely to piracy and maritime crime in this zone, which is «more precise in its characterisation of the facts on this subject», according to Commandant Courbey. Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia, which brings together 21 countries, including 6 European countries, but not Indonesia or Malaysia. Because of its Constitution, which requires a French version of the treaty to be signed by all, and which some countries have not yet done, France is not yet a party to the ReCAAP, but sits as an external participant on its Board of Governors.
THE STRAIT OF SINGAPORE, THE TRICKIEST PASSAGE... AND THE MOST TARGETED
These different levels of international cooperation show just how closely the situation in the SOMS is scrutinised. «Although the Strait of Malacca is the best known, the narrowest and most complex section to navigate is in the Singapore Strait,» explains Commandant Courbey. «There is a maritime traffic separation scheme, numerous waiting anchorages for access to the port of Singapore, as well as to the Indonesian islands of Bintan and Batam.»
Socio-economic disparities between the various countries can also explain brigandage at sea, the officer explains:
«The Singaporean side is highly developed, driven by financial, industrial and port activities, while the Indonesian side remains mainly focused on tourism and a few maritime infrastructures, with a much lower standard of living. This difference creates a favourable context for opportunistic and sometimes illegal activities.»
An upsurge in attacks in the 1990s prompted the local authorities to react, with some success. So much so that «for a long time, the area had been secure», recalls French researcher Éric Frécon, currently working in the area. visiting fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra, and a specialist in maritime piracy in the region:
«After various measures taken in 2006-2008 by the three riparian countries - joined by Thailand in 2008 (coordinated patrols, air patrols, exchanges of information), the pirates moved towards the China Sea or ceased their activities. But after a few years, the pirates (or bandits) went back into action, with a sharp increase in the Singapore Strait, around Phillip Channel, the narrowest part of the Strait».»
94 SHIP INTRUSIONS IN THE FIRST 7 MONTHS OF 2025
Between 1er Between 1 January and 31 July 2025, 94 intrusions were reported on ships in transit through the Singapore Strait, a level equivalent to that for the whole of 2024, «marking a worrying increase», according to Commander Courbey. More specifically, says the French liaison officer, «of these 94 cases, only 7 were classified as «moderate» (compared with 10 in 2024), due to physical confrontations (2 cases) or brief crew confinements (5 cases of tying up).» The 87 other intrusions had only material consequences.
According to Éric Frécon, the causes of this resurgence are highly circumstantial:
«More than the macro-economic indices (because the island of Batam seems to be developing in recent years, with building sites starting up again, roads being built, etc.), it's the resumption of criminal activity by one or two gangs, possibly for very personal or specific reasons, that can explain this or that spike.»
The easing of the situation since Indonesia's reaction - almost all of these incidents having occurred in the Phillip Channel, in Indonesian territorial waters - seems to confirm this analysis. Éric Frécon talks of a «significant drop», and Commandant Courbey adds:
«The number of incidents has fallen sharply following the arrest by the Indonesian Maritime Police (IMP) of perpetrators involved in two thefts from ships belonging to the French shipping company CMA CGM, which requested prosecution in July».»
In any case, «the direct impact of these incidents on world trade remains very limited», adds the French naval officer. According to him, the consequences are mainly indirect:
- «Possible increase in marine insurance premiums; ;
- need for more on-board staff to ensure better self-protection/monitoring; ;
- slightly higher operating costs for shipowners».»
NO MAJOR IMPACT ON WORLD OR REGIONAL TRADE
Academic Éric Frécon shares this reassuring view of the fluidity of commercial traffic:
«Even in its golden age, piracy (and maritime crime) has not had a major impact on world or regional trade. In relation to maritime traffic, the number of incidents is negligible, especially if you break down the attacks - since we are dealing with fewer and fewer hijackings of ships/cargoes, or even siphoned oil. Similarly, very few people have been injured.»
From his observation post at the IFC, Commander Xavier Courbey notes both a certain pragmatism on the part of those involved in maritime trade and an adaptation on the part of criminals to the security response:
«Victim ships generally continue their transit and do not lodge a complaint, to avoid any significant delay that would cost them more than the impact of the intrusion. As for the perpetrators, they avoid violence so as not to attract the attention of the local forces or provoke armed reactions.»
When all is said and done, piracy, banditry and banditry at sea have consequences for people and countries. That, in any case, is Éric Frécon's analysis:
«The impact is essentially psychological for the crews who fall victim to these ambushes at sea, but also reputational for the coastal states. Piracy is a stain on international cenacles. So Indonesia has finally reacted, tired of being constantly singled out.
From a diplomatic and more indirect point of view, it should be noted that piracy is one of the rare consensual subjects, conducive to cooperation and joint exercises.»
