In 62 cases, criminals managed to board a ship between January and September. Six ships were hijacked, and two others were fired upon. Nine failed attacks brought the total number of incidents to 79

IMB Director Michael Howlett describes the relatively low numbers as ‘encouraging.’ ‘We commend governments and law enforcement for their excellent work in making this improvement possible,’ he said. However, he urges shipping companies to remain vigilant and to continue following the guidelines set by the IMB.

Monsoon rains

In the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, which was still a troubling piracy hotspot in 2020, twelve incidents were reported in the first nine months of the year, the lowest number since 1996. In the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, the high-risk area from about ten years ago, there were eight incidents. All of these occurred earlier in the year: there has been no piracy there since July. The IMB suspects that the pirates stayed away due to the monsoon rains.

According to the IMB, a concerning issue worldwide remains the violence used against crew members. During the nine-month period, 111 crew members were held hostage, and 11 were kidnapped. In 45 of the reported incidents, the majority, pirates were armed with firearms and/or knives.

It was also noted that piracy in Indonesia has actually increased. Over the nine-month period, there were 17 incidents, compared to 12 during the same period last year and 9 in 2022.

Source: NT