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ICC International Maritime Bureau’s latest global piracy report says 58 piracy and armed robbery incidents in January-June this year at their lowest since 1994
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While the reported drop in incidents is encouraging, crewmembers should not be complacent, as ships were boarded in 96% of the incidents, IMB PRC says
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Piracy and crew kidnappings remain a threat on the Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Aden and the southern Red Sea
Piracy and armed robbery on commercial shipping were at their lowest in the first half of 2022 compared with any January-June period in the past 28 years, the International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said in its latest global piracy report.
The IMB said there were 58 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first six months this year – the lowest total since 1994 – down from 68 during the same period in 2021. IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 55 vessels boarded, two attempted attacks and one vessel hijacked.
“Not only is this good news for the seafarers and the shipping industry, it is positive news for trade, which promotes economic growth. But the areas of risk shift and the shipping community must remain vigilant,” IMB Director Michael Howlett said.
“We encourage governments and responding authorities to continue their patrols, which create a deterrent effect.”
The IMB PRC said that while the reduction in reported incidents is encouraging, crewmembers should not be complacent, as vessels were boarded in 96% of the reported incidents. No crew kidnappings were reported during this period, but violence and threats against them continued, with seafarers taken hostage and a further five crew threatened.
Of the 58 incidents, 12 were reported in the Gulf of Guinea, 10 of which were defined as armed robberies and the remaining two as piracy.
In early April, a Panamax bulk carrier was attacked and boarded by pirates 260 nautical miles (about 482 kilometers) off the coast of Ghana. This illustrates that despite a decrease in reported incidents, the threat of piracy and crew kidnappings remains on the Gulf of Guinea, the IMB PRC said.
On being notified of the incident, IMB PRC immediately alerted the regional authorities and international warships and requested for assistance. An Italian Navy warship and its helicopter instantly intervened, saving the crew and escorting the vessel to a safe port.
IMB PRC urged coastal response agencies and independent international navies to continue to ensure this crime is permanently addressed in the Gulf of Guinea, which accounted for 74% of crew taken hostage globally.
Vessels are still targeted by local perpetrators when transiting the Singapore Straits, which accounted for over 25% of all incidents reported globally since Januaryr, the IMB PRC said. They successfully boarded the vessels in all 16 incidents. While considered low-level opportunistic crimes, crews were at risk with weapons reported in six incidents.
Indonesian archipelagic waters had seen a slight increase in reported incidents for the first time since 2018, with seven cases against five over that same period last year. Five vessels were boarded at anchor and one each while at berth and steaming. Weapons were reported in three incidents with one crew threatened.
Although no incidents were reported at the start of the year, the threat of piracy still exists in the waters off the southern Red Sea and in the Gulf of Aden, which include the Yemeni and Somali coasts.
Although the opportunity for incidents has decreased, Somali pirates still have the capability and capacity to carry out attacks, the IMB PRC said. It advised all merchant ships to adhere to the recommendations in the latest Best Management Practices while transiting in these waters.
IMB PRC remains a single point of contact to report all maritime piracy and armed robbery incidents 24 hours a day.
