Piracy and armed robbery attacks against ships rose a steep 37% in the second quarter versus the same period a year ago, as the waters surrounding Nigeria and Somalia grow increasingly perilous, the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reported on July 12.
“Despite a sustained decrease in acts of piracy over the past three years, the statistics for the second quarter suggest that we may be seeing a reversal of this trend,” said Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB. Attacks in 2007 to date number 126, on par with the first half of 2006.
The IMB report shows that so far this year, 13 vessels were hijacked by heavily armed attackers, 152 crew members were taken hostage, 41 were kidnapped and three were killed.
The IMB Piracy Reporting Center (PRC) recorded 17 incidents in Somalia so far this year, a dramatic increase over the same period last year when eight attacks were registered. As a result, the International Maritime Organization has referred this issue to the United Nations Security Council.
“We hope they will prevail upon the transitional federal government in Somalia to permit naval units from other countries to assist hijacked vessels. It is only when the pirates see they can no longer make easy money by seizing vessels that we will see a reduction in attacks,” Captain Mukundan said.
Attacks are on the rise in Nigeria as well, where local groups who claim to be in pursuit of political goals boarded 15 vessels and hijacked another ship, targeting individuals for kidnap or ransom and cargo ships offshore. Forty crew members have been kidnapped and 24 taken hostage this year. Oil tankers conducting ship-to-ship operations off the coast of the capital city of Lagos are particularly vulnerable, Captain Mukundan said.
While the waters off certain African countries remain dangerous, the previous high rate of attacks in the Malacca Straits has dropped significantly. No incidents were reported in this area in the second quarter, thanks largely to cooperation between states bordering these waters.
PRC is the only operation of its kind in the world, offering ship masters the ability to report piracy attacks from any location, any time. The center compiles reports, issues warnings, provides immediate advice to ships under attack and coordinates medical assistance and support through local authorities. -International Chamber of Commerce
Pictures for this story
