Incidents of Piracy Have Dropped in 2007

The numbers are in; piracy on the high seas is way down in 2007. Pirates attacked 41 commercial vessels worldwide in the first three months of 2007, marking the lowest numbers of the crime in the past decade; the highest figure was 103 attacks in 2003, according to IMB statistics.^[1] The January-to-March figure is a significant drop from the same period last year when 61 attacks were reported, the London-based International Maritime Bureau said in a statement through its piracy reporting center in Malaysia.^[2]

The IMB attributed the decline partly to crew members “taking more precautions during their transit through the hot spot areas, as well as companies adopting more in-house (security) rules and regulations for their ships.”^[3] However the IMB warned against complacency, and stressed that the problem of pirates is still very real, stressing that “increased vigilance has been and will always be the best form of defense.”^[4]

Indonesian waters remained the world's most dangerous, accounting for nine attacks.^[5] That number did not include another two attacks in the Malacca Strait, a bustling shipping route that is shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.^[6] Nevertheless, the IMB asserts that Indonesia – which has tried to boost naval patrols across its sprawling archipelago – “should be applauded for the proactive efforts it has taken to tackle the problem,” noting that there were 19 attacks in Indonesia in January-March 2006.^[7]

Bangladesh also reported a substantial one year decline, from nine to two attacks, partly because of shorter waiting times at anchorages where many past attacks happened.^[8] The IMB, however, voiced concerns about deteriorating security in Nigeria, where the number of attacks climbed on-year from four to six in the three-month period.^[9] Other nations that suffered rising attacks were India, which had three, Sri Lanka with two, and Tanzania with three; all three had reported no attacks in the first three months of 2006.^[10] Somalia also has very serious piracy problems, which we have discussed here.

In addition to detailing piracy incidents, Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships Report for the first quarter of 2007 identifies ports and anchorages more prone to violent attacks.^[11]

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^[1] AP Staff, Pirate attacks worldwide are down sharply so far in 2007, watchdog says, Associated Press Newswire, April 26, 2007, available at LEXIS, News Library, Wire News Services File.
^[2] Id.
^[3] Id.
^[4] Id.
^[5] Id.
^[6] Id.
^[7] Id.
^[8] Id.
^[9] Id.
^[10] Id.
^[11] Piracy Press Release, IMB Website, http://www.icc-ccs.org/main/news.php?newsid=83 (last visited Apr. 26, 2007) (Balongan in Indonesia, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania and Lagos in Nigeria were highlighted as ports frequently targeted by pirates.)