Tag: IMB

IMB reveals Piracy at sea has reached its lowest levels in six years, with 264 attacks recorded worldwide in 2013, a 40% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) revealed today. 15 incidents were reported off Somalia in 2013, down from 75 in 2012, and 237 in 2011.IMB's annual global piracy report shows more than 300 people were taken hostage at sea last year and 21 were injured, nearly all with guns or knives. A total of 12 vessels were hijacked, 202 were boarded, 22 were fired upon and a further 28 reported attempted attacks. Nigerian pirates were particularly violent, killing one crewmember, and kidnapping 36 people to hold onshore for ransom."The single biggest reason for the drop in worldwide piracy is the decrease in Somali piracy off the coast of East Africa," said Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored world piracy since 1991. IMB says Somali pirates have been deterred by a combination of factors, including the key role of international navies, the hardening of vessels, the use of private armed security teams, and the stabilizing influence of Somalia's central government."It is imperative ...

Merchant navy captain Sunil James may have returned home after five-and-a-half-months in Togo but International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (London) statistics show how waters around the Indian sub-continent are the most dangerous.

ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has posted on its website updated data regarding the piracy and armed robbery figures a

Pirates attack oil tanker off Malaysia

Nautilus International says Good News on Drop in Piracy but No Room for Complacency

IMB Piracy Reporting Centre provides Updated Piracy and Armed Robber Figures

According to IMB piracy report for period January- September 2013 The International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has revealed that piracy on the world's seas is at its lowest third-quarter level since 2006, but warns of the threat of continuing violent attacks off the East and West coasts of Africa.The latest IMB Piracy Report, published today, shows 188 piracy incidents in the first nine months of 2013, down from 233 for the same period last year. Hostage-taking has also fallen markedly, with 266 people taken hostage this year, compared with 458 in the first three quarters of 2012.In the first nine months of 2013, IMB's global figures show pirates hijacked 10 vessels, fired at 17, and boarded 140. A further 21 attacks were thwarted. In total 266 crew were taken hostage and 34 kidnapped. One seafarer was killed, twenty were injured, and one is reported missing.IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan urged caution: "Although the number of attacks is down overall, the threat of attacks remains, particularly in the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Guinea. It is vital that ship masters continue to be vigilant as they transit these waters."Attacks in seas around Somalia continued to fall ...

The pirates stole the ship's cargo, crew personal belongings and cash

According to the International Maritime Bureau, the waters near Johor and Malacca are now surpassing Somalia as the top piracy hotbed. It attributed this to the rise in piracy off Indonesia's Tanjung Priok, Dumai, Belawan, Taboneo and Muara Jawa - where the waters have been marked as hot spots.

Weather conditions help small pirate skiffs operation As the monsoon in the NW Indian Ocean begins to subside and the weather once again becomes conducive to the operation of small pirate skiffs, the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has urged Masters not to be complacent as they transit the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden.It has called for vessels to remain alert and apply the Best Management Practices (BMP), including its reporting requirements, as it transits the area.Overall this year the attacks have fallen to 10, a trend which is attributed to the vital action of the naval vessels engaged in anti-piracy operations, compliance with the BMP and the use of professional security teams on board.Ashore in Somalia, the government in Mogadishu which has been in power for the last 12 months has provided a stabilising influence which has been missing for decades."Naval forces continue to play a key role in the response against piracy in this area from the collection of intelligence to the identification and disarming of suspected pirate vessels before they pose a threat to ships. It is vital that they remain until the situation improves ashore so that piracy is no longer a viable option ...