The ninth annual edition of the State of Maritime Piracy report finds that the Gulf of Guinea was the area most affected by piracy and armed robbery once again in 2018. The number of incidents increased by 15 percent over 2017. The number of attacks where crew members were held for ransom on hijacked vessels or kidnapped for ransom from vessels was alarmingly high.
No hijackings were recorded in the Western Indian Ocean in 2018, including Somalia, the Gulf of Aden, or the Red Sea, in spite of pirate groups retaining the capabilities. This was the result of efforts on land by international agencies, coastal communities, and maritime authorities preventing safe haven for pirate groups. Additionally, the implementation of Best Management Practices (BMP5) by crews and onboard security teams and the efforts of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) and Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and other navies all contributed to decreasing the number of attacks.Click here to download the report.
While piracy and armed robbery trends were fairly unchanged in Asia, incidents rose 20% in Latin America and the Caribbean.
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This content was created when Stable Seas was a program of One Earth Future.