People return from kayaking along the Johor Strait in Singapore on May 23, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP)

SINGAPORE - Three bulk carriers were robbed in the Singapore Strait earlier this week, a Singapore-based regional maritime security centre on Friday.

One of the busiest commercial waterways in the world has seen a spike in piracy in recent years.

Fifty such incidents have been recorded spanning from India to Indonesia and South Korea since January 23, said the Information Fusion Centre, which is a regional facility hosted by the Singapore navy

The incidents of "petty crime" happened between Aug 8-9, when the ships were in the Phillip Channel in the Singapore Strait, said the Information Fusion Centre, which is a regional facility hosted by the Singapore navy.

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One of the ships was flagged to Cyprus, while the other two carried Liberia flags, the centre said in a statement.

Fifty such incidents have been recorded spanning from India to Indonesia and South Korea since January 23, the centre said, urging vessels in the vicinity to exercise caution.

"Majority of the incidents involved bulk carriers, and tugs and barges with low freeboard and slow speed while underway, and the incidents occurred in hours of darkness," it said.

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The centre said all the robberies were likely carried out by the same group of perpetrators based on proximity, time intervals, and the number of people involved.