Tag: IMB

The Human Cost of Piracy 2011 A report highlighting latest details of the plight of seafarers at the hands of Somali pirates was launched on Friday 22nd June at a press conference in London. The report, The Human Cost of Piracy 2011, is written jointly by Kaija Hurlburt of One Earth Future for its Oceans Beyond Piracy project and by the International Maritime Bureau.The joint report is an update of the first report on the Human Cost of Piracy for 2010, launched in London by Oceans Beyond Piracy in June last year. This report includes a statistical analysis of the threats of violence caused by acts of piracy as well as the first published findings collected as a result of the Declaration Condemning Acts of Violence Against Seafarers.The Declaration, signed initially in Washington in August last year by Liberia, the Marshall Islands, and Panama, and by the Bahamas in March 2012, commits signatory states to submit reports to the IMB on the treatment of seafarers held hostage."Thousands are attacked for financial gain without regard for the human cost to attain a ransom," says Kaija Hurlburt, Project Manager with Oceans Beyond Piracy. "In 2011, at least 3,863 seafarers were fired upon ...

Bureau of International Recycling survey findings re container security The results of a recent survey conducted by the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) in conjunction with an international trade association have served to underline the challenges associated with container security and theft from containers.The recent survey of the Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) membership found that thefts occurred from consignments carried by all of the major container shipping lines, on shipments originating in many countries. The common factor was that the thefts occurred in consignments almost exclusively bound for southern China- though this is more a reflection of the fact that the country is by far and away the biggest importer of scrap metals. Losses were however also reported in other parts of the world.IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan commented: "We share the concerns of the BIR over the scale and nature of the theft of scrap metals in certain parts of the world. The results reveal that all too often valuable cargoes - notably copper scrap exports- are removed from shipping containers before they reach their intended recipients. The reported losses run into millions of dollars, with one BIR member reporting losses in excess of USD 1 million in a ...

ICC- IMB Piracy Report One hundred and two incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported for the first quarter of 2012, with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters, according to figures released yesterday in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) global piracy report.In total, 11 vessels were reported hijacked worldwide, with 212 crew members taken hostage and four crew killed. A further 45 vessels were boarded, with 32 attempted attacks and 14 vessels fired upon - the latter all attributed to either Somali or Nigerian pirates.Nigerian pirates widening rangeTen reports were received from Nigeria in the beginning of 2012, equalling the same number reported in Nigeria for the whole of last year. A further attack in neighbouring Benin has also been attributed to Nigerian pirates. The reports include the hijackings of one product and one chemical tanker, between which 42 crewmembers were taken hostage."Nigerian piracy is increasing in incidence and extending in range," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, which has been monitoring piracy worldwide since 1991. "At least six of the 11 reported incidents in Nigeria occurred at distances greater than 70 nautical miles from the coast, which ...

Co-operation for safer shipping lanes Thursday, 22 March,Captain Pottengal Mukundan, Director of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) was invited to MC Northwood to meet with the staff of the NATO Shipping Centre. The purpose of this meeting was to maintain and strengthen the dialogue between the two organisations that work to provide the maritime community with the best information products possible to avoid piracy.The IMB is based in London and is a specialised division within the Commercial Crimes Services of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC). IMB's primary mission is to protect the integrity of international trade by seeking out fraud and malpractice. One of the IMB's principal areas of expertise is in the suppression of piracy. Concerned at the alarming growth in the phenomenon, this led to the creation of the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre in 1992, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It maintains a round-the-clock watch on the world's shipping lanes, reporting pirate attacks to local law enforcement and issuing warnings to shipping about piracy hotspots.Both Captain Mukundan and Michael Howlett, Divisional Director of the IMB, addressed the Senior Leadership and operational sectors of MC Northwood Headquarters (HQ), NATO, sharing information on how the Counterfeiting Intelligence Bureau, the Financial ...

IMB states that it is aware of at least another 34 unreported incidents in Nigerian waters The International Maritime Bureau is warning vessels to stay clear of waters off Nigeria after pirates killed the captain and chief engineer of a bulk carrier Monday, the third attack in West African waters in a week.The killings off the coast of Lagos, Nigeria's largest shipping gateway, came after pirates attacked a ship and hijacked a tanker ship near neighboring Benin in the last week.The IMB said although the average length of captivity of ships attacked off Benin and Nigeria is about 10 days compared to six months in Somali hijackings, the attacks can be more violent. While 10 attacks were reported in Nigeria in 2011, the number is "not representative of the real threat of Nigeria""Under reporting of attacks in Nigeria continues to be a cause for concern, and IMB states that it is aware of at least another 34 unreported incidents in Nigerian waters," the agency said.In neighboring Benin there were 20 incidents involving tankers, eight of which were hijacked and had cargoes partly stolen.Source: Journal of Commerce

Somali pirates have intensified attacks and remained the greatest threat Sea piracy worldwide dropped slightly in 2011 for the first time in five years but Somali pirates have intensified attacks and remained the greatest threat, a global maritime watchdog said Thursday.The number of attacks dipped to 439 last year from 445 cases in 2010, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said in a report.There were 45 vessels hijacked and 802 crew members taken hostage, as compared with 53 ships seized and 1,181 people taken hostage in 2010.The agency attributed the decline to international naval patrols and increases in private security personnel aboard ships.Somali pirates accounted for 54 percent of the global attacks with 237 cases, up from 219 in 2010, it said.The IMB said Somali pirates for the first time hijacked a vessel at anchorage in Oman, indicating they were desperate. This highlighted the need for ports and vessels at anchorages in the region to be vigilant, it said."The role of the navies is critical to the anti-piracy efforts in this area," said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan.Lawless Somalia's long coastline snakes around the Horn of Africa and provides the perfect base for pirate dens. The country ...

IMB Piracy Review 2011 The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has released its review on piracy for 2011, which reveals that pirate attacks against vessels in East and West Africa accounted for the majority of world attacks in 2011.The report states that of the 439 attacks reported to the IMB in 2011, 275 attacks took place off Somalia on the east coast and in the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa.There was a slight drop in the total number of recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery worldwide, comparing the 439 recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery in 2011 to 445 in 2010. The falling numbers, however slight, come after four consecutive years of increased piracy and armed robbery worldwide.Overall in 2011, there were 45 vessels hijacked, 176 vessels boarded, 113 vessels fired upon and 105 reported attempted attacks. A total of eight crew members were killed throughout the year, the same number as 2010.To view the piracy review document, click here.IMB distributes the report for free to interested parties, and you can register your email address to automatically receive the reports when they become available by visiting www.icc-ccs.org/requestreportDetails of the very latest attacks can also be ...

ICC- IMB Report Pirate attacks against vessels in East and West Africa accounted for the majority of world attacks in 2011, signalling a rising trend, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) global piracy report revealed today. Of the 439 attacks reported to the IMB in 2011, 275 attacks took place off Somalia on the east coast and in the Gulf of Guinea on the west coast of Africa.The report showed a slight drop in the total number of recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery worldwide, comparing the 439 recorded incidents of piracy and armed robbery in 2011 to 445 in 2010. The falling numbers come after four consecutive years of increased piracy and armed robbery worldwide.The 802 crew members taken hostage in 2011 also marks a decrease from the four-year high of 1,181 in 2010. Overall in 2011, there were 45 vessels hijacked, 176 vessels boarded, 113 vessels fired upon and 105 reported attempted attacks. A total of eight crew members were killed throughout the year, the same number as 2010.Somali pirates remain greatest threatSomali pirates continue to account for the majority of attacks - approximately 54%. But while the overall number of Somali incidents ...

Only an experienced oil trader would recognise these scams The ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is warning members over ongoing scams involving the fraudulent sale of Nigerian petroleum products.The Bureau is regularly referred cases where vessels belonging to members are caught in the middle of a dispute. Most cases involve small companies based in either Nigeria or Ghana and poor quality documents that IMB analyses quickly proved as fake. The documents purportedly show the ownership of cargoes carried on board certain vessels and the scam centres around these spurious documents being sold on to unwitting buyers, often at a heavy discount or for a hefty advance fee.The IMB recently investigated a case on behalf of a German buyer which involved much better quality documentation, including one apparently confirming that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) had indeed supplied the seller with the goods. Furthermore, the details of the cargo appeared to match that of a genuine shipment which had taken place. More detailed checks, however, confirmed that the deal was nothing more than an advance-fee fraud.IMB Deputy Director Michael Howlett commented: "These scams often rest on the fact that the victim is not well-versed in commodity trading. An experienced oil ...

High riskarea of being attacked by pirates and criminal elements The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has issued the following piracy update from the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) to all ships transiting off Nigeria, off Benin and Gulf of Guinea:Information available to ONI indicates tankers and supply boats, specifically those with US interests, operating in the Gulf of Guinea are at a heightened risk of being attacked by pirates and criminal elements operating in the region.This heightened and specific risk will remain, at minimum, from now until 25 December. Gulf of Guinea pirates and criminal elements possess intent, capability, and are actively planning on attacking tankers and/or supply boats during this timeframe. All vessels are advised to be extra vigilant and maintain anti piracy measures when transiting this area and adhere to the latest BMP recommendations.Source: IMB