Piracy Retreating in Q1 2019

The International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) published its report for the first three months of 2019, reporting less incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships than the first quarter of 2018.

During the first quarter of 2019, IMB reported 38 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea, which are 28 less incidents than the first quarter of 2018, which stood at 66.

IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre detailed that 27 vessels were boarded, seven vessels were fired upon and four attempted attacks occurred in the first quarter of 2019. No vessels were reported as hijacked for the first time since the first quarter of 1994.

“These latest statistics from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre are encouraging. However, first quarter statistics is too short a period on which to anticipate trends over the year.  It confirms the importance of information sharing and coordinated action between the industry and response agencies. Going forward, it is critical to continue to build more effective reporting structures to enable a strong, unified response when dealing with piracy incidents,” said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan.

The Gulf of Guinea represented a high number of piracy and armed robbery attacks at sea, with 22 incidents reported in the first quarter of 2019. The region also accounted for all of the worldwide crew kidnappings as 21 crew members were kidnapped across five separate incidents. Incidents were reported in the coastal countries, of Benin, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria and Togo in the first quarter of 2019.

Nigeria has been a hotspot for piracy incidents over the past decade. However, in the first quarter of 2019, Nigeria experienced a decrease in reported piracy incidents. Nigeria reported 14 incidents of piracy for Q1 2019, in comparison to 22 incidents in Q1 2018.

These results confirm the Nigerian Navy’s increased efforts to “actively respond to reported incidents by dispatching patrol boats,” the report notes. Despite these efforts, Nigerian waters remain risky for vessels, especially the port of Lagos where four incidents have been reported.
 
The declining rate of piracy incidents worldwide in the first quarter of 2019 reinforces the importance of transparency, communication and coordination, between vessels and coastal authorities. By reporting all incidents to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre and  coastal authorities the response can be better organised improving  incident response times and prompt advice to vessels aimed at a more optimal use of  resources.  

National governments and coastal authorities can use this data to collaborate and strengthen their piracy prevention efforts.