Piracy in the Strait of Malacca

In recent years, coordinated patrols by Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore along with increased security on vessels have sparked a sharp downturn in piracy.

The strait is on the route between Europe, the Suez Canal, the oil-exporting countries of the Persian Gulf, and the busy ports of East Asia.

For example, it was through the loyalty of Orang Laut pirate crews that the 14th-century Palembang prince Parameswara survived expansion attempts by neighbouring rulers and eventually went on to found the Sultanate of Malacca.

Piracy in the region was mentioned in Chinese texts; for example, the 14th century traveller Wang Dayuan described pirates from Long Ya Men (in present-day Singapore) and Lambri (in Northern Sumatra) in his work Daoyi Zhilüe.

A record of foreign presence, particularly in the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, is found today in the watery graves of sailing vessels lost to storms, piracy, battles, and poor ship handling.

[3][4] The 18th and 19th centuries saw an increase of piracy in the strait, spurred in part by the economic imperative to control the lucrative spice trade with European colonisers.

In the 1830s, the controlling colonial powers in the region, the British East India Company and the Dutch Empire, agreed to curb the rampant piracy.

Furthermore, the Federation of ASEAN Shipowners' Associations has launched a database system to provide updated information on location, types of attacks, and outcomes.

Instances of modern piracy typically fall into one of three categories: those looking for easy profit, those working with or belonging to organised crime syndicates, and those associated with terrorist or secessionist groups with political motivations.

The kind of piracy related to terrorism operates similarly, but differs in that it seeks funding to continue terrorist activities or to make political statements.

[15] In 2024, ReCAAP reported targeted stealing of engine spares by pirates as unique to the Singapore and Malacca Straits, indicating the possibility of a black market.

[16] In 2004, the four countries in the region, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, increased efforts to patrol the strait in an attempt to curb piracy.

[22] But according to piracy expert Catherine Zara Raymond, There seems to be a failure, particularly outside the region, to recognise this change in the frequency of pirate attacks and the scale of the problem.