A total of 406 incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported in the 2009 annual piracy report issued by the ICC International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC). The last time piracy figures crossed 400 incidents was in 2003.
2009 is also the third successive year that the number of reported incidents have increased with 239, 263 and 293 incidents reported in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.
The report states that in 2009, 153 vessels were boarded, 49 vessels were hijacked, 84 attempted attacks and 120 vessels fired upon – compared to 46 ships fired upon in 2008. A total of 1052 crewmembers were taken hostage, sixty eight were injured in the various incidents and eight killed. The level of violence towards the crew has increased along with the number of crew injuries.
Somali Pirates
The total number of incidents attributed to the Somali pirates stands at 217, 111 in 2008, with 47 vessels hijacked and 867 crewmembers taken hostage. Somalia accounts for more than half of the 2009 figures, with the attacks continuing to remain opportunistic in nature. Whilst the number incidents has almost doubled, the number of successful hijackings is proportionately less. This can be directly attributed to the increased presence and coordination of the international navies along with heightened awareness and robust action by the Masters in transiting these waters.
2009 has however seen a significant shift in the area of attacks off Somalia. While the 2008 attacks were predominantly focused in the Gulf of Aden, 2009 has witnessed more vessels being targeted along the east coast of Somalia.
Nigeria
Twenty eight incidents were reported for Nigeria in 2009. Of these 21 vessels were boarded, three vessels were fired upon, one vessel was hijacked and three Masters reported an attempted attack on their vessel. One crew member was reported killed as the robbers tried to escape after looting the vessel.
Vessels attacked include, general cargo, bulk carriers, reefers, and all types of tankers. The majority of incidents related to the oil industry and fishing vessels go unreported. Information from external sources would suggest at least a further 30 unreported attacks occurred in Nigeria in 2009.
Indonesia Successfully Curbs Piracy
Indonesia is again applauded for their tireless efforts in curbing piracy and armed robbery in its waters. There continues to be a year on year decline in the number of incidents, with 15 incidents for 2009, the majority opportunistic in nature. Only two incidents were reported in the Malacca Straits – the same as in 2008.
Asian Piracy on the Rise
This is the second year in a row where incidents in the Singapore Straits have increased. The South China Seas saw the highest number of incidents in the previous five years. Bangladesh also saw a slight increase, most of which were opportunistic in nature.
Even though there has been significant improvement in the safety and security of the SE Asian and Far East waters there still remains an underlying potential for incidents to increase without any prior warning. The pressure on the pirates and the robbers has to be maintained by the littoral states and the constant physical presence in the waters.
More Than Twice as Many Incidents in South America
Thirty seven incidents have been reported from countries in the South American continent as compared to 14 in 2008. Countries affected are Peru, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela. Most of these attacks were successful and were carried out while the vessels were berthed in port or while at anchor. This is a similar trend as in 2008.
Report Incidents
The IMB strongly urges all Shipmasters and Owners, to report all incidents of actual and attempted piracy and armed robbery to the IMB PRC. This is the first step in the response chain and vital in ensuring that adequate resources are allocated by governments to deal with the problem. A set of transparent statistics from an independent, non-political, international organisation such as the IMB PRC acts as an effective catalyst to achieve this goal.
