News
Sixty incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded in the first half of 2024, a decrease by five from 65 in the same period in 2023, according to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).
Of the 60 incidents reported, 46 were cases in which vessels were boarded, eight were attempted attacks, four were hijacked and two were fired upon. Perpetrators successfully boarded 85% of targeted vessels. Violence towards crew continues, with 85 taken hostage compared to 36 in the same period last year, 11 kidnapped and two threatened. Guns and knives were reported in 34 of the 59 incidents, a worrying increase from the same period last year.
Despite the decline in global reported incidents, Somali piracy still poses a threat, with eight reported incidents in the first half of 2024, including three hijackings. Recent incidents demonstrate the continued capability and capacity of the Somali pirates to target vessels up to 1,000 nautical miles off the Somali coast.
Incidents dropped from 14 to 10 in the Gulf of Guinea, but threats to crew safety and wellbeing continued to be a cause of concern. The region accounts for the 11-crew kidnapped globally in the first half of 2024 in two separate incidents and 21 of the crew taken hostage in one incident. The IMB reiterates the need for a continued and robust regional and international naval presence to respond to these incidents and safeguard life at sea.
There was a noticeable decrease of reported incidents in the Singapore Straits from 13 in the first half of 2024 compared to 20 the same period last year. However, the targeting and boarding of large vessels transiting through these waters remains worrying. While considered low level opportunistic crimes, 10 crew were taken hostage in six separate incidents with guns and knives reported in 11 incidents.
