Cargo crime losses surge 27% in APAC despite stable incident volumes

August 22 ------ The Transported Asset Protection Association Asia Pacific (TAPA APAC) has recorded 125 cargo crime incidents and 148 counterfeit cases across 13 APAC countries in the second quarter of 2026, with reported direct cargo losses exceeding USD 4.8 million.

While the number of cargo crime incidents remained broadly in line with the same period last year—125 cases in Q2 2026 compared with 128 in Q2 2025—the value of losses increased significantly. Direct cargo losses rose by 27.3%, from USD 3.78 million in Q2 2025 to more than USD 4.8 million this quarter, pointing to a potentially more costly threat despite relatively stable incident volumes.

The findings are contained in TAPA APAC’s TAPA Intelligence System (TIS) Second Quarter 2026 Intelligence Report, which tracks cargo crime and counterfeit activity across the region. Cargo crime during Q2 2026 continued to be concentrated around facilities and vehicles with the combined facility related thefts representing more than 57% of all reported crime locations, confirming that warehouses, manufacturing sites, supplier hubs, and distribution centers remain primary targets for organized criminals consistently in 2026.

Interestingly enough, in the Q2 of 2025 cargo crime remain focused on transportation related thefts with a combined 69.5% of incidents occurring while goods are in-transit at cargo shipping vehicles.

Q2 2026 also observed a notable increase in origin facility incidents compared with the previous quarter, suggesting that criminals are increasingly exploiting fixed infrastructure where valuable cargo is consolidated before transportation.

Although En Route theft declined throughout the quarter, it still remained one of the most common cargo crime locations seeing a total of 21.6% in reported cases, which advises for continuous monitoring throughout the transportation journey.

Product categories – Thieves focusing on the necessities

Across the early quarters of 2025, the product category being targeted was diverse, although Food & Drink was the leading identifiable category in Q1 2025, by Q2 2025, however, Auto Parts became the largest category which is closely followed by Tools/Building Materials and Food & Drink.

However, by 2026 the trend has changed with Tools/Building Materials emerging as the leading targeted product category in Q1 2026, accounting for 18.2%. Fuel Theft and Food & Drink categories followed with each accounting for approximately 10–11% of reported cases.

In Q2 2026, Fuel Theft overtook Tools/Building Materials as the most targeted, which is the result of the high demand for oil stemming from the start of the middle east conflict. Tools/Building Materials and Food & Drink categories remain prominent as they take the 2nd and 3rd rank in products being targeted.

The continued prominence of these categories indicates that criminals are increasingly targeting commodities that have strong resale potential, practical utility, or relatively consistent demand.

Source: safety4sea.com