Is the decline in global piracy over?

A global resurgence

Global piracy and armed robbery incidents increased by 4% in 2023 compared to 2022, according to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC). While this does not appear to be a substantial overall change, a closer look at the figures do reveal some alarming trends.

First and foremost, the resurgence of Somali pirate activity raises concern. The IMB PRC, in December 2023, reported the first successful hijacking of a vessel off the coast of Somalia since 2017. During the first three months of 2024, five more incidents, including two hijackings, were recorded in the Western Indian Ocean, all occurring at significant distances from the Somali coastline.

The IMB PRC’s latest reports also reveal that incidents in Gulf of Guinea waters increased in 2023 and continued to do so in the first quarter of 2024. After a fourfold decline in reported attacks between 2020 and 2022 in the region, this trend reversal serves as a prudent reminder that piracy and armed robbery remain a serious threat in Gulf of Guinea waters. Furthermore, the persistent threat of armed robbery in the Singapore Strait continues to be a major concern. Based on the latest reports from the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC), the number of robbery incidents in the Singapore Strait reached an eight-year high in 2023.

Increasing violence against crew

Another worrying trend is the increasing use of violence against and the threat to vessels’ crew. The IMB PRC reports that the total number of crew taken hostage or kidnapped doubled from 2022 to 2023. Furthermore, when comparing the first quarter of 2024 to that of 2023, this figure increased by a factor of seven. The ReCAAP ISC also reports of an increase in the severity of incidents in Southeast Asian waters. And not to be forgotten, vessels anchored at the Callo Anchorage in Peru continue to be attacked by violent perpetrators.

Regional trends

Asia

According to ReCAAP ISC, 100 incidents were recorded in Asian waters in 2023, up from 84 in 2022. All were classified as armed robbery/petty theft and the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) remains Asia's major area of concern. However, the agency also warns of a year-on-year increase of incidents occurring while vessels were anchored or berthed in Indonesian and Philippine ports.

Incidents in the SOMS continued to increase year on year with 63 in 2023 compared to 55 in 2022. It is also worth noting that five of the incidents were reported from the Malacca Strait in 2023. In comparison, ReCAAP ISC reported only two incidents from the Malacca Strait during the seven-year period from 2016-2022.

The majority of the 63 SOMS incidents occurred at night in the Straits’ eastbound lanes, with bulk carriers being the most frequently targeted vessel type. Whilst the incidents were reported predominantly as low-level opportunistic thefts, with little physical injuries to crews, it is not uncommon for the perpetrators to be armed with knives and other weapon-like objects that are used to threaten the crew. In fact, the ReCAAP ISC data shows that the severity of incidents in the SOMS is increasing. In 2022, incidents in which perpetrators carried weapons and threatened and/or harmed the crew accounted for 32% of the total number of incidents in the SOMS. In 2023 this number increased to 41% and in Q1 2024 alone, such incidents accounted for 80% of the total. ReCAAP ISC advises vessels to continue to exercise enhanced vigilance when transiting the Straits.

On the positive side, no abductions of crew for ransom have been reported from the Sulu-Celebes Seas and Eastern Sabah region since January 2020 and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) has further downgraded the related threat level in the area from ‘MODERATE’ to ‘MODERATE LOW’. With the current level, it means that ‘Incidents are unlikely to occur due to perpetrators’ perceived lack of capability to orchestrate any attacks. Nevertheless, minimal damages can be expected to the ship and crew in the event of any potential attacks'. However, masters and crew that do transit the area are strongly encouraged to exercise extra vigilance and report all incidents immediately to the Operation Centres of the Philippines and Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) of Malaysia.

Africa

According to the IMB PRC, 26 incidents were recorded in African waters in 2023, up from 21 in 2022. Despite the recent return of Somali pirates, the West Africa and Gulf of Guinea waters remains a main are of concern.

Since 2020, increased naval presence and cooperation between coastal authorities in the Gulf of Guinea have had a positive impact on the piratical activity in the region, resulting in a considerable reduction in incidents. The region is still restrained compared to previous years, with 22 incidents reported in 2023 compared to 19 in 2022, 35 in 2021 and 81 in 2020. However, the slight increase in incidents between 2022 and 2023 could signal the end of a promising trend in the Gulf of Guinea waters.

Meanwhile, crew kidnappings in Gulf of Guinea waters are climbing again, with 14 crew members taken in three incidents in 2023, up from two in a single incident in 2022. Based on IMB PRC figures, the region also accounted for 75% of all reported hostages in 2023. In January 2024, yet another incident in the region involved the kidnapping of nine crew, indicating the criminality of piracy remains a real threat in the Gulf of Guinea waters.

As in 2022, Angola and Ghana are on top of the list of West African countries reporting piracy incidents in 2023, but are this year also joined by Cameroon. In the Gulf of Guinea waters in 2023, approximately 80% of the incidents occurred while vessels were anchored or berthed, and Takoradi Anchorage, Ghana, was mentioned by the IMB PRC as one of the world’s top five locations for piracy and armed robbery incidents in 2023.

The Indian Ocean High Risk Area (HRA) was removed in January 2023 after several years without any Somali pirate attacks. However, the IMB PRC has continually warned that Somali pirates retain the capability and capacity to carry out attacks in the Gulf of Aden/Indian Ocean region and has urged masters to remain vigilant. The recent resurgence of Somali pirate activity has unfortunately proved the agency right.

It started with the hijacking of a bulk carrier around 700 nm east of Bosaso in Somalia in December 2023. During the first three months of 2024, five additional incidents were reported from the Western Indian Ocean, including two hijackings, and a vessel fired upon and boarded before a naval vessel came to her rescue. All five incidents were attributed to Somali pirates and occurred between 550 and 1000 nm from the Somali coastline. The IMB PRC therefore emphasises the importance of conducting thorough threat and risk assessments, as well as adhering to all relevant recommendations provided by the industry Best Management Practices (BMP), when transiting these waters. The Indian Ocean Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) managed by the United Kingdom Marine Trade Operations (UKMTO) remains in effect, and vessels entering the VRA are encouraged to report to the UKMTO and register with the Maritime Security Centre for the Horn of Africa (MSCHOA) in accordance with the BMP.

The Americas

With a total of 19 piracy and armed robbery incidents recorded in the South and Central American and the Caribbean waters in 2023, the IMB PRC’s five-year statistics show yet another year of welcome improvement for this region. However, the same is not true for Peru's Callao Anchorage.

Of a total of 19 incidents in the region in 2023, 14 were reported from vessels at Callao anchorage in Peru in 2023, up from 12 in 2022. According to the IMB PRC, seven crew were taken hostage, all at Callao Anchorage, and guns and knives were reported in nine incidents, making this region quite a risk for crew. Other ports affected in South America in 2023 were Macapa anchorage in Brazil, and Cartagena and Puerto Bolivar anchorages in Colombia. Panama also made its first appearance in the IMB PRC’s annual report in more than four years, recording one attempted attack.

It is, however, worth noting that no incidents were recorded in the region during the first quarter of 2024, compared to seven in the same period in 2023.

Stay alert!

The level of threat from piracy and armed robbery at sea, as well as the opportunity for and modus operandi of the perpetrators, differs from one region to another and may also change quickly.

Prior to entering any piracy prone area, it is important to

• obtain updated information from local sources and security experts,

• review the ship security plan in light of the information received,

• conduct a voyage specific risk assessment,

• brief and train the crew and prepare, and

• test the vessel’s emergency communication plans.

Relevant preventive measures must be adopted, following available industry guidance and best management practices (BMP). The potential consequences of not following industry best practices may be severe when transiting areas prone to piracy.

As vessels may be particularly vulnerable when at anchor, masters and crew should exercise extra vigilance when staying at high-risk ports/anchorages. Remember that a proper lookout is considered one of the most effective methods of vessel protection. It can help identify a suspicious approach or attack at an early stage, allowing defenses to be deployed.

Please refer to Gard’s website “Piracy and armed robbery at sea” for further advice.