According to the International Chamber of Commerce’s most recent worldwide quarterly piracy report, occurrences of global piracy and armed robbery have decreased to their lowest levels since 1992. (ICC). In the first nine months of 2022, 90 instances of piracy and armed robbery against ships are described as reported by Professional Security.
Efforts of coastal authorities
London-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) Director Michael Howlett said: “We commend the efforts of the coastal authorities of the Gulf of Guinea.
While the decline is welcome, sustained and continued efforts of the coastal authorities and the presence of the international navies remain essential to safeguard seafarers and long-term regional and international shipping and trade.”
Perpetrators were successful in gaining access to the vessels in 95 per cent of the reported incidents which are broken down as 85 vessels boarded, four attempted attacks, and one vessel hijacked.
Though these are amongst the lowest reports in decades, violence to crew continues with 27 crew taken hostage, six assaulted and five threatened.
The risk to the crew, however minor or opportunistic the incident, remains real, the Bureau says.
Gulf of Guinea
Of the 90 global piracy and armed robbery incidents, 13 have been reported in the Gulf of Guinea region – compared to 27 over the same period of 2021 – signalling a significant decline in the number of reported incidents in the area of west Africa which emerged as the world’s biggest piracy hotspot in recent years, the IMB says.
Vessels underway, including several large vessels and tankers, were boarded in all 31 reports and in most cases, ship stores or properties were stolen.
The IMB believes there is some underreporting and late reporting of incidents, and encourages masters to report all incidents as early as possible.
As for South America, reports from Callao anchorage in Peru have dropped from 15 in the first nine months of 2021 to eight in 2022.
Five incidents have been reported at Macapa Anchorage, Brazil including one on August 30, where six security and duty crew were assaulted and tied up by perpetrators who boarded an anchored bulk carrier.
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Source: CCS
