Says Nautilus International
Nautilus International has welcomed news that maritime piracy has fallen to its lowest level in seven years, but warns there is no room for complacency with the threat still present in both East and West Africa.
The International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) latestpiracy report shows that piracy on the world’s seas is at its lowest third-quarter level since 2006, but the bureau warns of the threat of continuing violent attacks off the east and west coasts of Africa.
The report, published on 17 October 2013, shows 188 piracy incidents in the first nine months of 2013, down from 233 for the same period last year. Hostage-taking has also fallen markedly, with 266 people taken hostage this year, compared with 458 in the first three quarters of 2012.
Attacks in seas around Somalia continued to fall dramatically, with just 10 incidents attributed to Somali pirates this year, down from 70 in the same nine months of 2012. The IMB attributes this improvement to the actions of naval forces engaged in anti-piracy operations, security teams onboard vessels, ships complying with the industry’s best management practices, and the stabilising influence of the Central Government of Somalia.
IMB director Pottengal Mukundan urged caution: ‘Although the number of attacks is down overall, the threat of attacks remains, particularly in the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea. It is vital that ship masters continue to be vigilant as they transit these waters.’
Nautilus general secretary Mark Dickinson agreed: ‘We should remain cautious however, and west Africa is now a pressing issue, but it is good that attacks are declining-particularly off Somalia.’
He echoed a recent joint statement to the European Union by European shipowners (ECSA) and the European Transportworkers’ Federation (ETF) that it was ‘time for an ambitious Gulf of Guinea strategy to curb the growing piracy threat in that region.’
The joint statement calls on EU member states to address the threat to trade patterns with west Africa – by putting in place an international military presence outside territorial waters, setting up ‘proper protection’ from local navies, coastguards and other organisations in territorial waters, and creating a well functioning monitoring and reporting system.
The IMB report said that with fewer attacks off Somalia, attention has moved to the Gulf of Guinea.It has also warned of rising armed robbery attacks in Indonesia and called for increased patrols in that region.
For more information, read IMB Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships report for January- September 2013.
