Increased security measures have helped to reduce piracy by 54% over the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2011 in the Gulf of Aden ahead of the upcoming Seatrade Middle East Maritime exhibition and conference.
The drop in piracy rates has led to softening of insurance premiums for the global shipping industry but has also raised controversy over the use of onboard private armed security ontractors.
According to a report from International Maritime Bureau (IMB), Piracy Reporting Centre, global attacks on commercial and private vessels stood at 225 incidents year-t-date, with 70 recorded attacks off the Somali coast. 11 ships had been seized and 188 hostages are currently being held for ransom. 177 incidents were reported against 266 in the same period last year.
Although piracy in the Gulf of Aden appears to be on the decline, the IMB says that Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean is still a serious concern. Increased attacks are also being reported in the Gulf Of Guinea, Nigeria and Togo, as well as further afield in Indonesian waters.
“The world’s busiest trading routes are still suffering from the ongoing threat of piracy, which costs global trade up to US$12 billion annually,” said Chris Hayman, Chairman of Seatrade. “Aggressive patrolling by international combined naval forces and the increase – over the last 12 months – in the use of private armed security contractors onboard vessels, are acting as an effective deterrent in many cases, but the regulatory oversight of these emerging number of private firms is currently a ‘grey area,” he said.
Currently, some three dozen warships patrol more than one million square miles of territory, with the European Union Naval Force antipiracy operation including ships from the UK Royal Navy and EU country members, as well presence from the US Navy, Russia, India, China and NATO.
“The third link in the chain is training for commercial ship captains in evasive techniques, as well as the introduction of protective measures including barbed wire defences and powerful water hose facilities are also proving to be highly effective, and forcing pirates to turn to smaller, less lucrative vessels rather than large oil tankers and cargo ships,” said Hayman.
