The lowest number of accidents ever reported since 1994. The first half of the year brought some important good news for the International Maritime Bureau.
Between January and June, “only” 58 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported, nearly 15% less compared to the 68 cases in the same period last year.
This was confirmed by the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Center, in a report which specified that there had been 55 attempts to board 55 vessels, two attempted attacks and one case where a ship had been hijacked.
According to IMB Director Michael Howlett, this is not only good news for seafarers but also for trade as a whole. He stressed, however, that it was very important for people not to let their guard down and encourage governments not to continue their patrols in areas of greatest risk.
Although the drop in reported incidents is indeed encouraging, the IMB reports how boarding attempts had been successful in 96% of cases. Although no incidents of crew kidnapping had been recorded during this period, Mr. Howlett noted that serious risks to the safety of seafarers persist in all reported cases. In fact, a total of 23 seafarers had been taken hostage and another 5 had been threatened to be killed.
In the Gulf of Guinea
12 of the 58 incidents reported took place in the Gulf of Guinea, ten of which were armed robberies and the other two classifiable as piracy incidents.
In early April, a Panamax bulk carrier was attacked and boarded by pirates 260 nautical miles off the coast of Ghana. According to the report this shows that despite a drop in reported incidents, the threat of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and crew kidnappings remains
In the Singapore Strait
Ships continue to be targeted and boarded by pirates while passing through the Singapore Strait. This is a high piracy risk area where 27% of all incidents reported globally since the beginning of the year have taken place.
The perpetrators managed to board the vessels in all 16 reported attacks. Although they are considered low-level opportunistic crimes, crews continue to risk their lives: weapons were reported in six incidents.
Indonesia.
Apart from the Singapore Strait, the Indonesian archipelago saw a slight increase in reported incidents for the first time since 2018, with seven attacks compared to five during the same period last year. Five vessels were boarded while at anchor and weapons were reportedly brandished on at least three occasions. Overall, 12% of the total number of attacks reported worldwide from January onwards had taken place there.
Gulf of Aden
Although no attacks have been reported since the beginning of the year, the threat of piracy still exists in the waters off the southern Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, which includes the Yemeni and Somali coasts. However much the chances of incidents have been reduced, Somali pirates are still capable of assaulting ships.
Translation by Giles Foster