Piracy & Robbery At Sea Stats - June 2012
A clear reduction in piracy and robbery at sea is noted during June 2012, according to OCEANUSLive, 24 incidents took place in June. Whilst this is a reduction on the same period in 2011, which saw 32 incidents, authorities continue to caution the fact that it cannot be assumed that the threat has diminished.
East Africa continues to bear the brunt of pirate activity. Despite the onset of the southwest monsoon, the increased use of BMP4, carriage of armed/unarmed security teams, and improved military response, the pirates have continued to make their presence felt in the region. Dhow-based attacks, likely due to the high sea-state, have increased. One attack was alleged to have been attempted on a luxury motor yacht in the Gulf of Aden. Disruption activity by the naval forces has seen a step up in the release of hijacked dhows and their crews. Awareness of pirates being killed when attempting to attack vessels is growing as unconfirmed reports state 1-in-2 pirates do not return to land (died due to sea conditions or killed during attempted attacks).
West Africa again suffered five incidents, all of them taking place off Nigeria. Each incident saw the pirates firing weapons as they approached the vessels. One chemical tanker was hijacked with the crew mustered in the mess room whilst the Master and Chief Engineer remained in their respective posts. The pirates ordered the vessel sail to Togo and back. Cabins were raided with ships cash and crew personal belongings and cash stolen prior to the pirates disembarking after 45 hours. Two ships managed to evade the attack suffering some damage to the vessel; one ship with armed Nigerian Navy personnel was involved in a 15-minute gunfight[1]. One attack occurred at anchor off Lagos.
In Asia, eight incidents took place, one fewer than in May 2012, most of which were classified as robbery incidents in India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia. One late report, via ReCAAP, states that a tanker was hijacked but released when a law enforcement helicopter arrived on the scene.
South America saw no reported incidents occurring in June, a decrease by 3 from May 2012.
See the full list HERE.
[1] Certain companies are providing armed escorts for vessels in Nigeria under licenses issued by the Nigerian military and using serving military personnel. Agents are also placing local armed guards consisting of police and military personnel on board. These guards are hired through serving Nigerian officers against payment – Source: Gard P&I Club.
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