has declined to the lowest figure in three years, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports, as armed guards and the navy protect vessels.
In the first nine months of 2012, only 70 attacks by Somali pirates occurred, as compared to 199 incidents across the first three quarters of 2011 – achieving the lowest number of attacks involving Somali pirates since 2009.
In the third quarter of 2012, only one ship was attacked, compared to 36 in the same period of last year, the report reveals.
The IMB claims that the positive trend can be attributed to the increase in policing of waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, where naval presence has been significantly upgraded over the past year, and ships often carrying armed guards on board for protection.
Director of the IMB Captain Pottengal Mukundan reacted positively to the results in a statement to press, saying: “We welcome the successful robust targeting of Pirate Action Groups by international navies in the high risk waters off Somalia, ensuring these criminals are removed before they can threaten ships.”
However, Mukundan warned against relaxing security measures, adding that: “It’s good news that hijackings are down, but there can be no room for complacency: these waters are still extremely high-risk and the naval presence must be maintained.”
The results contained in the IMB report are not all good news. As at the end of September 2012, 11 vessels, along with 167 crew members were being held hostage by Somali pirates with a view to demanding ransom payments. A further 21 crew members are thought to be held on land, following kidnappings by pirates off Somalia.
In a further negative turn, while the decrease in Somali piracy is encouraging, the IMB reports that piracy off the west coast of Africa is on the up. 34 attacks occurred off the Coast of Guinea in the first nine months of the year, as compared to 30 in the equivalent period of last year. The report notes that attacks in the West African waters are increasingly violent and pre-planned, and are thought to be mainly oil-related.
Nigeria was victim to the majority of West African attacks, recording 21 incidents involving pirates. Benin – traditionally troubled by piracy – recorded two attacks. Worryingly, piracy in Togo spiked this year, with the country recording 11 attempted attacks – more than figures for the past five years combined.
Attacks by Somali pirates in 2011 resulted in pirates securing an estimated $160 million the One Earth Future Foundation estimates; while the attacks cost the world-wide economy some $7 billion. The Foundation also calculates that global governments spent in excess of $1.3 billion in 2011 on enhancing maritime security.
