2024-01-11 14:20:20
The number of pirate attacks on the world’s oceans increased again over the course of 2023. In total, according to data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), 120 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported – compared to 115 in 2022. 105 ships were boarded, nine attacks were attempted, four ships were hijacked and two ships were fired upon, according to the International Chamber of Commerce shipping office belonging to it reported on Thursday.
At the start of 2023, the experts reported sharply declining numbers. Ships with German participation were affected a total of 14 times in 2023, making them the second most frequently affected after Singapore (28). “The growing number of attacks on ships and crews is worrying. They show once again that piracy is not a relic of the past, but a very current challenge,” said ICC Germany Secretary General Oliver Wieck. “In addition, as a result of the Middle East conflict, politically motivated attacks by militant Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea are increasing.”
The IMB warns in particular of the increasing danger to ship crews: The number of crew members who were taken hostage or kidnapped rose from 41 to 73 and from 2 to 14. A further ten crew members were threatened, four were injured and one was attacked. For the first time since 2017, a ship – a bulk carrier with 18 crew members – was attacked off the coast of Somalia. The freighter, which was allegedly boarded by Somali pirates, was freed by the Indian Navy shortly afterwards.
A focus of piracy continues to be the West African Gulf of Guinea. Even though the number of reported incidents in the Gulf is declining with 22 last year and 19 in 2022, “three out of four of the kidnappings reported worldwide last year occurred in these waters, which therefore continue to be classified as dangerous,” it said it in the message. There is also no reason to give the all-clear for the Singapore Strait.
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