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IMB confirms the growth of pirate menace

15 January 2010

The International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB's) Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has confirmed that 2009 saw a massive growth in the menace of piracy.

Its annual piracy report for 2009 shows that 406 incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported last year – the highest figure since 2003. The total shows the third year-on-year growth in attacks, from 239 in 2006.

Last year, 49 vessels were hijacked and 153 boarded, with attempted attacks on a further 84 ships. The report also indicates the growing use of violence – 120 vessels were fired upon in 2009 compared with 46 in 2008. Seafarers bore the brunt of attacks, with 1,052 taken hostage, 68 injured and eight killed during attacks. The level of violence towards crew has also increased.

More than half of all incidents – 217 – were due to Somali pirates, who hijacked 47 vessels and took 867 crew hostage. The IMB confirms that most Somali attacks were opportunistic: no vessel seems to be too large or too small to escape their attention.

However, the presence of the multinational naval task force patrolling the Gulf of Aden, and heightened awareness by vessels and crew of anti-piracy measures, have reduced the number of successful attacks. Although incidents have risen, the proportion of successful hijacks has fallen. As a result, the pirates are now prepared to voyage even further afield to seize vessels.

The end of the year saw increasing reports of attacks on vessels up to 1,000 nautical miles from the Somali coast, way out into the Indian Ocean. The IMB reports that 13 incidents since October 2009 took place east of the recommended 60° east.

2009 also saw a worrying incidence of violent attacks off Nigeria, where 28 incidents were reported, most related to the oil industry. The IMB points out that the nature of these attacks was more violent than those by Somali pirates, and that many attacks on fishing and other vessels went unreported.

Although the attacks off Nigeria fell at the end of the year following a government amnesty releasing a leader of the Movement to Emancipate the Niger Delta (MEND) and a ceasefire, there are fears of a new wave of attacks from insurgents, following an armed attack on an oil pipeline running through the Niger Delta. A recent statement from MEND warned that it would reconsider resumption of hostilities with the government by 30 January.

Meanwhile, piracy and armed robbery have fallen in the previous hotspot of the Malacca Straits to only two incidents, largely due to anti-piracy measures by Indonesia, which had 15 incidents in 2009.

However, incidents have increased in the Singapore Straits and the South China Seas. The IMB warns that, while there has been significant improvement in the safety and security of South East Asian and Far East waters, the potential for incidents to increase without any prior warning remains, and governments have to maintain the pressure on pirates and robbers.

Armed robbery on vessels has also increased in Chittagong, Bangladesh and Callao, Peru, and continues to be a problem in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela.

The IMB strongly urges all captains and owners to report all incidents of actual and attempted piracy and armed robbery to the 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."

Incidents reported since the start of 2010 point to the continuation of the problem.

Robbers boarded a bulk carrier anchored at Tanjung Pemancingan, Indonesia on 13 January and stole ship's stores.
Three robbers boarded a container ship off Mui Vung Tai, Vietnam on 12 January and stole ship's stores, jumped overboard and escaped.
Armed robbers boarded a chemical tanker at Gresik, Indonesia on 9 January and escaped with ship’s stores.
Three armed robbers boarded a tanker anchored at Abidjan, Ivory Coast on 5 January, took the duty crew hostage at knifepoint, and stole ship's stores.
Robbers boarded a container ship berthed at Tanjung Priok, Indonesia on 4 January, tied up and assaulted the duty AB and stole ship's properties.
More than 10 pirates in three boats attempted to board a cargo ship off Indonesia on 3 January. The ship took anti-piracy measures and evasive manoeuvres, and the pirates aborted their attempt to board.

All attacks and suspicious sightings should be reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, Tel: +603 2031 0014 (24 hours), Email: imbkl@icc-ccs.org.

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