Gard Club highlighted global piracy trends, noting that while attacks decreased by 3% in 2024, it remained a persistent threat to seafarers.
The global piracy and armed robbery incidents decreased by 3% in 2024 compared to 2023, according to the International Maritime Bureau’s Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC).
Gard explains that a closer look at the figures however, shows some worrying trends:
- Reports of Somali pirate activity, for the first time since 2017, raised considerable concern at the beginning of 2024. Nine incidents linked to Somali pirates, including four hijackings, were reported in the Western Indian Ocean/Gulf of Aden between December 2023 and May 2024. Several of these incidents occurred at significant distances from the Somali coastline, demonstrating the continued capabilities of these criminals. However, no additional incidents have been reported since May 2024.
- Incidents in Gulf of Guinea waters remain at historically low levels also in 2024. However, crew continue to be at risk in this region as it was responsible for all crew kidnappings in 2024.
In 2024, only two incidents were reported from the Americas, and none of them occurred at Peru’s infamous Callao Anchorage. - In addition, the persistent threat of piracy and armed robbery in Southeast Asian waters, and the increasing number of incidents in the Singapore Strait, continue to be a major concern. The Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia Information Sharing Centre (ReCAAP ISC) shares a similar worry, identifying the Strait waters off Pulau Cula, Indonesia in the Philip Channel as a particularly risky location in 2024. This worrying trend also continues into 2025 as 12 incidents have been recorded in the Singapore Strait between 1 January and 10 February.
Increasing violence against crew
Another worrying trend is the increasing use of violence against and threats to vessels’ crew. The IMB PRC reports that the total number of crew impacted by piracy and armed robbery has doubled for the second year in a row, from 55 in 2022 to 102 in 2023 and 151 in 2024. The agency has also observed a further rise in the use of weapons. In 2024, guns or knives were reported in 65 incidents, compared to 55 in 2023.
The year-on-year increase of impacted crew in 2024 is mainly driven by the large number of crew being taken hostage by Somali pirates during the first half of 2024. However, it also reflects an increase in the severity of incidents in Southeast Asian waters, which is also confirmed by ReCAAP ISC’s 2024 figures on severity.
The level of threat from piracy and armed robbery at sea, as well as the opportunity for and modus operandi of the perpetrators, differs between regions 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
- Test the vessel’s emergency communication plans
Gard recommends that 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 defences to be deployed.
