IMB's Piracy Hotspots from 2009

by IMB/Nancy Knudsen on 16 Feb 2010 Last month the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB)'s annual piracy was out, and there's no doubt that the news about safety on the high seas is deteriorating - but what does it mean for the cruising sailor? How safe are the seas where you sail? - and what routes can you take to sail off into the sunset without worrying about pirates?

With the current continuing plight of kidnapped British sailors Paul and Rachel Chandler keeping Somali pirates at the top of mind, there are very few yachts with a crew foolish enough to venture anywhere between the Seychelles and the coast of Africa, but there are other troublespots as well.

While the IMB report covers mostly commercial shipping, it can also form a rough guide to the cruising sailor as to where NOT to sail. There is no doubt of one aspect, that the IMB report is reliably correct, and unlike some piracy sites specifically for cruising sailors, does not exaggerate the facts to build fear and resultant book sales.

The 2009 edition of the IMB annual piracy report cited a total of 406 reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the calendar year 2009. Compiled by the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the statistics evidenced in this year’s report indicate the continuation of an upward trend in piracy activity.

2009 marks the third successive year that the number of reported incidents has increased. 239, 263 and 293 incidents were reported in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. The last time piracy figures exceeded 400 incidents was 2003.

The IMB report states that worldwide in 2009, 153 vessels were boarded, 49 vessels were hijacked, 84 attempted attacks and 120 vessels fired upon. A total of 1052 crew were taken hostage. 68 crew members were injured and 8 were killed. The level of violence, and corresponding injuries, is clearly increasing with the number of vessels fired upon being 74 higher than the previous year.

IMB Director Captain Pottengal Mukundan stated: 'Increases in the frequency and level of violence perpetrated against ships at sea and the people who work them is a serious concern. Our hope is that this escalating volume of piracy is met with a heightened response from the governments and their agencies best able to reduce and contain these risks to human life and property.'

Somalia:
In terms of geographic clusters of activity, Somalia remains an area of paramount concern. Piracy activity in this region accounts for more than half of all the acts of piracy reported in 2009. The total number of reported incidents attributed to Somali pirates in 2009 stands at 217, with 47 vessels hijacked and 867 crewmembers taken hostage.

Attacks in Somalia continue to be characterized as opportunistic in nature.

In 2008, 111 vessels were targeted by Somali pirates resulting in 42 hijackings. Although the number of 2009 incidents has almost doubled, the number of successful hijackings is proportionately less. This can be directly attributed to the increased presence and coordination of the international navies along with heightened awareness and robust action by the Shipmasters transiting these waters.

Captain Mukundan noted: 'The international navies play a critical role in the prevention of piracy off Somalia and it is vital that they remain in the region.' While attacks off the coast of Somalia remain high, the positioning of the attacks has shifted. In 2008, the bulk of attacks were predominantly focused in the Gulf of Aden. In the last quarter of 2009, the piracy has shifted with more vessels targeted along the East coast of Somalia.

Since October, increased activity has also been observed further out in the Indian Ocean with 33 incidents reported, including 13 hijackings. 13 of these last quarter incidents occurred east of the recommended east of 60° east – including four hijackings. Many of these attacks have occurred at distances of approximately 1000 nautical miles off
Mogadishu.

Captain Mukundan noted, 'Motherships have traditionally posed as fishing vessels or dhows to avoid detection. Reports of such crafts so far from the coast should be questioned and investigated.'


Nigeria:
Other Africa waters also remain very dangerous. 28 incidents were reported for Nigeria in 2009. Of these 28 incidents, 21 vessels were boarded, 3 vessels were fired upon, one vessel was hijacked and three Masters reported an attempted attack on their vessel. One crew member was reported killed when robbers tried to escape after looting a vessel.

Captain Mukundan added: 'The attacks in Nigerian waters are frequently much more violent in nature than those in Somalia. The incidence of violent attacks against ships’ crew has also spilled over into neighbouring states.'

The majority of incidents related to the oil industry and fishing vessels go unreported. External sources suggest at least another 30 unreported and unconfirmed attacks have occurred in Nigeria in 2009. Increases in piracy were also noted in other parts of the globe.

Singapore Straits:
For the second consecutive year, incidents
in the Singapore Straits have increased. Nine incidents were reported in 2009, as compared to six in 2008. Of the nine reported incidents, six vessels were boarded and three reported attempted attacks. Thirteen incidents were reported by ships steaming in the South China Seas. This is the highest number of incidents in the previous five years. Of these thirteen, eleven were boarded, one vessel was hijacked and one reported an attempted attack. In some attacks the bridge crew was physically removed from the bridge for a short period of time, leaving the vessel effectively 'Not Under Command.'

Even though there has been significant improvement in the safety and security in South East Asian and Far East waters, there still remains an underlying potential for incidents to increase without any prior warning. The pressure on the pirates and the robbers has to be maintained by the littoral states and their continued physical presence in the waters.

Indonesia and the Malacca Straits - the bright spots:
Indonesia remains a bright spot on the map in terms of reducing acts of piracy. There continues to be a year over year decline in the number of incidents, with 15 incidents recorded for 2009, the majority of which were opportunistic in nature. Piracy activity has also slowed in the Malacca Straits with only two incidents reported in 2009, the same number as the previous year.


Bangladesh (Chittagong):
Bangladesh has shown a slight increase in the number of attacks as compared to 2008. Most of these have been opportunistic. Of the 17 vessels attacked, 14 were boarded and ship stores stolen. Most of the incidents have taken place within the Chittagong anchorage.

South America:
Piracy remains on the rise in South America with 37 incidents reported up dramatically from the 14 noted in 2008. Twelve incidents occurred in the anchorage of Callao in Peru in 2009, up from the five recorded in the previous year. Other countries impacted include Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Haiti and Venezuela**. Most attacks in the countries were successful and were carried out while the vessels were berthed in port or while at anchor. This is a similar trend to the piracy activity recorded in 2008.

The IMB strongly urges all Shipmasters and Owners, to report all incidents of actual and attempted piracy and armed robbery to the IMB 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. A set of transparent statistics from an independent, non-political, international organisation such as the IMB PRC acts as an effective catalyst to achieve this goal.

**While these South American countries figure in the piracy statistics, there are many cruising sailors who continue to sail these areas successfully. Sail-World advised those who intend to sail South America to search the latest information on such resource sites as www.noonsite.com and www.safetyandsecuritynet.com