Maritime piracy drops to all-time low

The IMB piracy report

SAN FRANCISCO — Piracy and armed robbery at sea have fallen to their lowest levels since 1995, despite a surge in kidnappings off West Africa, according to a new report.

The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) global piracy report shows 98 incidents in the first half of 2016, compared with 134 for the same period in 2015. Piracy was at its highest in 2010 and 2003, when IMB recorded 445 attacks a year.

In the first half of 2016, IMB recorded 72 vessels boarded, five hijackings, and a further 12 attempted attacks. Nine ships were fired upon. Sixty-four crew were taken hostage onboard, down from 250 in the same period last year, according to a report by Safety4sea.com.

Experts say recent security improvements around Indonesia and the continued deterrence of Somali pirates off East Africa were responsible for the drop in incidents. But they call for continued vigilance particularly off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea, where kidnapping of crews for ransom is the trend. The Gulf of Guinea accounted for seven of the world’s 10 kidnapping incidents, with armed gangs boarding vessels.