According to the annual State of Piracy report released by One Earth Future (OEF)’s Oceans Beyond Piracy program, the number of piracy incidents doubled off the coast of East Africa in 2017 compared to 2016.
Piracy and armed robbery in the Gulf of Guinea continue at persistently high levels. In 2017, 1726 seafarers were affected in a total of 97 incidents, despite the increased efforts of regional states and contracted maritime security providers.
[smlsubform prepend=”GET THE SAFETY4SEA IN YOUR INBOX!” showname=false emailtxt=”” emailholder=”Enter your email address” showsubmit=true submittxt=”Submit” jsthanks=false thankyou=”Thank you for subscribing to our mailing list”]
The report also shows a US$13.2 million increase on spending by regional states on law enforcement and naval patrols, and that there has been an increase of contracted maritime security schemes.
Moreover, a South Korean vessel Munmu the Great was re-deployed to the Gulf of Guinea in response to the kidnapping of 3 South Korean fishermen in March.
Kidnap-for-ransom continues to plague the region, which is a trend that has unfortunately continued from 2016 says Pigeon. The report found that 100 crewmembers were taken hostage in 2016.
Phil Belcher, Marine Director of INTERTANKO, noted:
There are now a wide range of threats to shipping near the Horn of Africa that have been complicated by the conflict and instability in Yemen. We are advising our members to consider a more comprehensive security assessment to take into account other threats beyond traditional piracy emanating from the regional conflict in Yemen.
Moreover, maritime crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is also on the rise. Maisie Pigeon, the report’s lead author, reported a “significant increase in violent incidents and anchorage crime, particularly in the anchorages of Venezuela and the recent violent incidents off Suriname.”
On the other hand, the piracy situation in Asia improved considerably in 2017, with overall incidents reduced by over 20% from 2016. it is encouraging that kidnap-for-ransom attacks decreased from 22 in 2016 to just 4 in 2017.
OEF has concluded that piracy is just a piece of a number of issues affecting maritime security. Criminals operating at sea have been observed moving between different crimes and can sustain themselves without necessarily resorting to piracy activity.
OEF has observed growing consensus that piracy and other crimes cannot be comprehensively addressed unless the maritime community begins to address the broader issues that create insecurity at sea.
See more details in the PDF herebelow
