The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that even though the attacks against small tankers off South East Asia’s coasts caused a rise in global ship hijackings, up to 21 in 2014 from 12 in 2013, piracy at sea fell to its lowest level in eight years. Pirates took 442 crew members hostage compared with 304 in 2013.
IMB’s annual piracy report shows 245 incidents were recorded worldwide in 2014 - a 44% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011. Somali pirates were responsible for 11 attacks, all of which were thwarted. However, IMB warns shipmasters to follow the industry’s Best Management Practices as the threat of Somali piracy has not been eliminated.
Worldwide, 21 vessels were hijacked last year, 183 were boarded, and 13 fired upon. Pirates killed four crewmembers, injured 13 and kidnapped nine from their vessels.
Should you interested in obtaining more details, you can download the IMB piracy reports free of charge. In addition, the latest sea piracy attacks may also be viewed on the IMB Live Piracy Map.