IMB's Piracy Report Suggests Decline but Not for All Regions

The ICC International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB’s) Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships Report for the first quarter of 2007, when compared to statistics for the same quarter in 2006, shows that there is a world-wide decline in attacks on ships. Only 41 incidents of piracy and attacks occurred in the first quarter of 2007, which is 20 less than the 61 attacks recorded in the first quarter of 2006.

According to the IMB’s Web site, IMB Director Captain Pottengal Mukundan said, “Although we remain concerned about piracy and violence against ships, we are pleased to see that the number of reported attacks is decreasing. Despite this positive trend, there are a number of regions that continue to be plagued by piracy, most notably Nigeria and Somalia.”

With regards to Nigeria, the IMB Web site states: “Figures tallied in the recently released report found that the number of attacks in Nigeria doubled when compared with the first quarter of 2006. The six attacks reported for the first quarter of 2007 included a number of violent attacks against vessels and crew working in offshore oil installations. In these cases, crew members were both assaulted and abducted. Attacks on other vessels were also reported in the Niger Delta region. An alarming total of 40 crew members were taken hostage or kidnapped in Nigeria alone.”

Though the IMB Web site declares that the situation in Somalia “appears to have improved,” the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre advises vessels to “steer well clear of Somalian waters at all times.” Additionally, the May 3 hijacking of three fishing boats off the Somali coast highlights the still present danger in Somali waters. The IMB’s Weekly Piracy Report for May 2-8 states that negotiations with the May 3 pirates are underway and “ships not making scheduled calls to ports in Somalia should keep as far away as possible from the Somali coast, ideally, more than 75 nautical miles.”

Thus, though piracy attacks seem to be decreasing, there are still areas in the world that are very dangerous. These areas can be seen on the IMB Live Piracy Map at http://www.icc-ccs.org/extra/display.php. The IMB Weekly Piracy Report can be read at http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php.