The first three months of this year have seen fewer incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships than the corresponding period last year.
Some 38 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea were reported for the January to March period by the IMB, versus the 66 incidents in the first quarter of 2018.
No vessels were reported as hijacked for the first time since the first quarter of 1994. However, 27 vessels were boarded, seven vessels were fired upon and four attempted attacks occurred.
“These latest statistics from the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre are encouraging,” said IMB Director Pottengal Mukundan.
“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.”
The Gulf of Guinea in West Africa saw the highest 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 taken hostage 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, the IMB said.
However, there have been some positives in the region in particular in Nigeria, which has been a hotspot for piracy incidents over the past decade.
The country reported 14 incidents of piracy for the first quarter of 2019, in comparison to 22 incidents 12 months earlier.
“These results confirm the Nigerian Navy’s increased efforts to “actively respond” to reported incidents by dispatching patrol boats,” the IMB said.
It was quick to add that despite these efforts, Nigerian waters remain risky, especially the port of Lagos where four incidents have been reported.
In Asia, Indonesia also witnessed a decrease in piracy activities for the period under review, with only three incidents reported against anchored vessels in ports – the fewest reported incidents since 2010.
“As with Nigeria, increased cooperation and information sharing between the Indonesian Marine Police and IMB Piracy Reporting Centre has enabled regular patrols in high-risk areas,” the IMB said.
The IMB said 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,” it said.
