Tag: IMB

As IMB reported two robbers boarded a product tanker that was anchored in Puerto La Cruz Anchorage, Venezuela, on December 1, and tried to open the forward store. The crew members saw the perpetrators on time and raised the alarm.

IMB reported two separate piracy incidents in India and Nigeria, on 17 and 21 of November respectively. The first incident took place in Kakinada Anchorage, where robbers boarded a product tanker and stole its stores. The other incident occurred in Lagos Anchorage, where robbers boarded a vessels, but they were noticed.

Pirates boarded a container ship off Nigeria, kidnapping 11 crew including eight from Poland. The container ship 'MV Pomerania Sky' was heading to the Nigerian port of Onne and was boarded on October 28. According to the vessel’s management company, nine other members remain on board and are unharmed.

The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre reported a total of 156 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships in the first nine months of 2018 compared to 121 for the same period in 2017. No vessels were reported as hijacked in the third quarter of 2018, marking the first time since 1994 when no vessel hijackings have been reported in two consecutive quarters.

A merchant vessel was attacked by pirates while sailing in the Gulf of Aden on 16 October, according to UKMTO. The attackers fired shots against the vessel, but the armed guards onboard returned the shots. The attackers abandoned their plan to board the ship and escaped on their skiff.

The ICC International Maritime Bureau published its second quarterly report. The report says that 107 incidents were reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in the first six months of 2018. In addition, all 2018 crew kidnappings have taken place in the Gulf of Guinea in six separate incidents.

Piracy and armed robbery activity remains a significant threat to ship and crew safety in West African waters. The latest incidents, reported to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) 24-hour worldwide Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) in the last three months, are cited below. 

Four pirates in a speed boat, armed with guns, chased and boarded a bulk carrier which was underway. The incident happened on April 7, around 41nm South Southeast of Brass, Nigeria. The pirates fired upon and damaged the ship’s equipment and accommodation and before escaping, they stole ship’s cash and properties.

66 attacks against ships in Africa in the first quarter of 2018 highlight a surge in global levels of piracy and armed robbery at sea, according to the International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau. Figures in Q1 2018 are up compared to 43 incidents for the same period in 2017, and 37 in Q1 2016.

Two pirate skiffs, carrying a total of four pirates onboard, approached and fired upon a tanker, while underway in the Gulf of Aden, on 31st of March, according to IMB piracy reporting centre. The armed guards onboard the tanker returned fire, resulting in the pirates aborting the attack and moving away.