From January to June 2024, a total of 85 sailors were taken hostage according to the latest report from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) on piracy and armed robbery for the first six months of the year. This figure represents a significant increase compared to the 35 recorded during the same period last year. Additionally, there were 11 kidnappings, two threats, and reports of firearms and bladed weapons being used in 34 incidents. In response to these figures, IMB has called for «maintaining vigilance to protect seafarers in an increasingly violent environment,» despite the fact that, overall, the number of recorded pirate attacks worldwide has slightly decreased in the first half of 2024. During this period, IMB recorded a total of 60 piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships, compared to 65 in the same period in 2023.
According to the report, of the 60 reported incidents, 46 involved ships being boarded, eight reported attempted attacks, four were hijacked, and two were fired upon.
IMB Director Michael Howlett stated that «although the decline in reported incidents is positive, sustained and continued regional maritime cooperation remains essential to safeguard seafarers, global shipping, and trade. There is no room for complacency.» In addition to the increase in violence against crews, there is a particularly notable rise in incidents in Somali waters, with eight attacks recorded in the first half of 2024, including three kidnappings. The report indicates that recent incidents demonstrate the continued ability of Somali pirates to attack ships at a distance of up to 1,000 nautical miles from the coast.
Meanwhile, incidents in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea have decreased from 14 to 10 compared to the same period last year, but threats to the safety and well-being of crews remain a concern. In this region, the 11 crew kidnappings included in the report occurred, and 21 sailors were held hostage out of the 85 recorded worldwide.
In Southeast Asia, there has been a significant decrease in incidents, from 20 in the first half of last year to 13 this year. However, the attack and boarding of large vessels transiting these waters remain concerning, although IMB considers these incidents as low-level opportunistic crimes. In total, 10 crew members were taken hostage in six incidents, and firearms and bladed weapons were reported in 11 incidents.
Finally, the IMB report records an increase in incidents in Indonesia and Bangladesh. From January to June, there were twelve incidents in the waters of the Indonesian archipelago, the highest number since the first half of 2021, when 15 were reported. In Bangladesh, incidents increased from one in the first half of 2023 to ten in 2024, marking the highest number of incidents reported in the first half of a year since 2015. All the vessels were anchored, with eight incidents reported in Chattogram.