Armed attacks off the West coast of the continent affected966 seafarers in 2012 compared to 851 in Somalia, the report entitled ‘TheHuman Cost of Maritime Piracy 2012’ says.
However the 349 seafarers taken hostage off Somalia stilldwarfs the 206 captured in West Africa where pirates often favour hit and run tactics,stealing cargo and possessions, rather than holding vessels and their crew forransom.
And Somali pirates hold hostages for an average of 11 monthscompared to just four days in West Africa.
Owners and operators may not be reporting attacks becauseauthorities are less likely to respond, the report says.
“The specific challenges posed by piracy and armed robberyin the Gulf of Guinea region are not as clearly understood,” it says.
“Ship owners and operators are generally left to their owndevices in developing self-defense measures, which creates greatervulnerability to pirate attacks.”
The number of hostages taken off Somalia in 2012 dropped by 37%compared to the year before and the number of seafarers affected fell by 78%,while there are no comparative 2011 figures for West Africa.
Five people were killed in each region.
The economic cost of Somali piracy is estimated at up to$6.1bn, many times greater than the $740m to $950m figure for the east of the continent.
Security, including armed guards, and military costs make upnearly half the total for Somalia while insurance costs account for around halfthe figure for West Africa.
The report wassponsored by the Oceans Beyond Piracy project of the One Earth FutureFoundation, the London-based International Maritime Bureau (IMB) and theMaritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Program.
