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Piracy attacks tripled in 2009
Pirate attacks around the world have more than tripled in 2009 according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). In its annual report which was published on Thursday, it said that suspected Somali pirates account for more than half of the 406 reported incidents.The news comes after Germany announced it was sending a new ship, the Emden, to the Gulf of Aden, the narrow channel between Somalia and Yemen, where piracy has been concentrated in recent years. According to the IMB, Somali pirates ventured further out to sea last year to capture dozens of ships and collect millions of dollars in ransom. A total of 1,052 crew members were taken hostage, 68 injured and eight killed in 2009, it said. Pirates are now more desperate to hijack ships. Recent attacks, at distances of over 1,000 nautical miles from Mogadishu, indicate the capability of the Somali pirates," the report added. Speaking to Deutsche Welle, IMB director Pottengal Mukundan said that Atalanta had been extremely successful so far, but that more naval resources were needed in new areas. "The Gulf of Aden is pretty well policed at the moment. There was an extended period of several months when there were no hijackings there at all," he said. "But there are a lot of hijackings on the Indian Ocean side, and there is very little naval cover. If countries can afford to send more ships, they are vitally needed." In the Gulf of Aden, 116 successful or attempted attacks took place, compared with 92 in 2008. Large carriers were targeted most often. "As of December 31, suspected Somali pirates were holding 12 vessels for ransom with 263 crew-members of various nationalities as hostages," the IMB report said. The report also pointed to a rise in the number of attacks in other areas, especially the South China Seas, where there was the largest number of hijackings for five years. On top of this, piracy around South America more than doubled in 2009. But attacks in the Malacca Strait, which was a world piracy hotspot just a few years ago, remained at just two in 2009, the same as the previous year, the IMB said.
Posted by: 2010-01-17 |
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