Somali Piracy: Perhaps More Serious than Being Reported

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in South Africa published on 27 January 2014 a brief analysis titled "Sharp Drop in African Piracy: Are We Missing Something?" by Timothy Walker, ISS researcher.

According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), a total of 79 incidents occurred around Africa in 2013.  Of these, 15 were attributed to Somali pirates and occurred near Somalia and the Horn of Africa; down from a total of 75 Somali piracy-attributed attacks in 2012.  The author suggests, however, there are controversies about the statistics and says the IMB even acknowledges the number of incidents may be higher.   

Sharp Drop in Somali Piracy

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has just released its global piracy report covering the period 1 January through 30 September 2012. Somali pirate attacks cover an area that includes the Gulf of Aden, southern Red Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and off Somalia, Yemen, Oman, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles, Madagascar, Mozambique, and the Maldives.

The number of ships attacked by Somali pirates fell during the first nine months of 2012 to its lowest level since 2009 according to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC). In the first nine months of 2012, there were 70 Somali attacks compared with 199 for the corresponding period in 2011. From July to September, just one ship reported an attempted attack by Somali pirates, compared with 36 incidents in the same three months last year.

IMB believes policing and interventions by international navies are deterring pirates along with ships' use of best management practices including the use of armed guards and other onboard security measures.

As of 30 September 2012, suspected Somali pirates were holding 11 vessels for ransom with 167 crew members as hostages onboard. In addition, 21 kidnapped crew members are being held on land.

You can obtain a free copy of both the IMB piracy report for 2011 and the one for the first nine months of 2012 by clicking here.

Somali Piracy: Latest Statistics and Best Prevention Tactics

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) regularly produces reports on global piracy. In recent years, the focus has been on Somali piracy because most of the attacks have occurred in the Gulf of Aden and Western Indian Ocean. The IMB's most recent report detects a decline in Somali pirate attacks and a growing number off the coast of West Africa. You can request IMB piracy reports free of charge by clicking here.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) produced an excellent report in 2011 titled Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Waters off the Coast of Somalia: Best Management Practices for Protection against Somalia Based Piracy. Click here to read the entire report.

Somali Piracy

As part of the long parade of studies on Somali piracy, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung added its contribution on 19 January 2012 as one of its International Reports. The author is Benjamin-Tedla Hecker, who is working on research into German development cooperation in Africa and South East Asia. The title of the study is "Combating Piracy around the Horn of Africa."