The number of sea piracy reported at the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) till June 2022 is the lowest since 1994, according to the global trade body.
However, the number of such incidents in Asian water till June this year increased slightly to 42 compared to 38 in the same period last year.
The IMB’s latest global piracy report listed 58 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against 68 incidents during the first half of 2021.
In the first six months of 2022, 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,” commented IMB director, Michael Howlett, who added, “We encourage governments and responding authorities to continue their patrols which create a deterrent effect.”
The IMB commended the reduction in reported incidents saying it is indeed encouraging but the body cautioned against complacency as vessels were boarded in 96% of the reported incidents.
“Despite no crew kidnappings reported during this period, violence against and the threat to crews continues with 23 crew taken hostage and a further five crew threatened,” noted IMB.
Of the 58 incidents, 12 were reported in the Gulf of Guinea, ten 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 260NM off the coast of Ghana. This illustrates that despite a decrease in reported incidents, the threat of Gulf of Guinea piracy and crew kidnappings remains.
Meanwhile, as reported to the ReCAAP information-sharing center (ISC) which keeps a tally of sea piracy in Asian water, the number of incidents in this region is on the rise compared to last year.
Until 30 June, a total of 28 incidents were reported in the Singapore Straights alone since the beginning of the year.
The list of incidents from January to May 2022 has also shown a rising trend. During the five months, 39 incidents of armed robbery against ships were reported in Asia.
Compared to January-May 2021, the total number of incidents during January-May 2022 increased by 39%.
The ReCAAP ISC highlighted that in Bangladesh, three incidents were reported during January-May 2022 compared to no incident during January-May 2021.
Also in India, three incidents were reported in the January-May period compared to two incidents during the same period in 2021.
In the Singapore Strait, 25 incidents were reported during January-May 2022 compared to 15 incidents during January-May 2021, marking a big jump.
Sharar Nayel
Asia Correspondent
