During the Maritime Safety Committee’s 109th session (MSC 109), held on 2-6 December, safety, maritime security, armed robbery and piracy were on top of the agenda with the Committee noting updates and key developments regarding the industry’s burning issues.
The Committee during the session heard various statements delivered by Member States about the ongoing attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea area and the Black Sea area. Hearing the statements, the MSC expressed its concern over the safety and welfare of seafarers, freedom of navigation, threats to the marine environment and stability of the global supply chain resulting from the attacks by Houthis on commercial ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Furthermore, the Committee reiterated the call for the immediate release of the MV Galaxy Leader and its 25 seafarers which have remained captive since its hijacking in November 2023, marking a year of imprisonment of innocent seafarers. The Committee commended the IMO Secretary-General’s strong commitment and efforts, including his recent visit to the countries in the region, to re-establish safety and security in the Red Sea and the immediate release of the MV Galaxy Leader.
Gratitude was also expressed to the European Union for the support provided through Operation ASPIDES, as well as all Member States providing assets to the region. The MSC also took note of statements related to the Black Sea area.
Regarding piracy and armed robbery incidents, the MSC received an update on developments related to the hostilities against the ships. This includes reports on acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships for the first six months of 2024, and recent developments related to regional initiatives such as the Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment and Yaoundé Code of Conduct.
According to information received on IMO’s GISIS platform, 72 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to IMO as having occurred or been attempted in January to June 2024. For the same period in 2023, 90 incidents were reported. This constitutes a decrease of approximately 20% at the global level compared to the same period in 2023.
The areas most affected by acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships in January to June 2024 were:
- Straits of Malacca and Singapore area (37)
- Indian Ocean (13)
- West Africa (10)
- Arabian Sea (7)
- South China Sea (4)
- South America (Atlantic) (1)
On the topic of maritime security, the Committee noted updates on key developments in IMO’s work. This includes information about the submission of security-related information for port facilities in GISIS, and a report on capacity-building projects and initiatives implemented by the Secretariat, including:
- Global Enhancement of Maritime Security programme.
- EU-funded Port Security Project.
- United Nations Global Counter-Terrorism Coordination Compact.
