In early April 2024, the International Maritime Bureau highlighted its concerns about piracy off the Somali coast. Its first-quarter report shows a surge in piracy incidents and armed robberies against ships, with a total of 33 episodes, up from 27 during the same period in 2023. Of these 33 reported incidents, 24 ships were boarded, six faced attempted attacks, two were hijacked, and one was subjected to gunfire.
Violence against crew members remains a distressing constant, with 35 crew members taken hostage, nine kidnapped, and one threatened. Particularly alarming is the renewed increase in Somali pirate activities, with two hijackings reported in just the first quarter. On March 12, 2024, a bulk carrier flying the Bangladesh flag was hijacked by over twenty Somali pirates approximately 550 nautical miles from Mogadishu while en route from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates, with its crew of 23 taken hostage. This incident underscores the pirates' growing capability to strike at great distances from the Somali coast.
The international response was swift. On March 15, a forty-hour operation by the Indian Navy in the Indian Ocean resulted in the capture of thirty-five Somali pirates and the release of a previously seized vessel and its crew of seventeen. The Seychelles Coast Guard also acted decisively in late January, intervening to secure a hijacked fishing vessel and its crew of six, capturing three suspected Somali pirates.
Michael Howlett, director of the IMB, reiterated concerns about Somali piracy incidents and urged ship owners and captains to adhere to all the recommended guidelines in the latest version of the Best Management Practices (BMP 5). He also praised the actions of the Indian Navy and Seychelles Coast Guard for their roles in apprehending pirates and safeguarding crews.
The IMB also reported a reduction in incidents in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea in the first quarter of 2024, with six incidents compared to five in the same period of 2023. However, the threat of piracy and armed robbery in this region remains significant, highlighted by the kidnapping of nine crew members from a tanker on January 1, south of Bioko Island in Equatorial Guinea.
Increased risks are also noted in the waters of Bangladesh and the Singapore Straits, with a marked rise in low-level crimes reported in 2024. Although considered low-level, these incidents still pose a serious threat to the safety of crews.
