Pirate attacks off Somalia coast drop: Maritime watchdog

A global maritime body said Wednesday that pirate attacks and armed robbery have decreased remarkably off the coast of Somalia in the past nine months.

International Chamber of Commerce's International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said just 10 incidents have been reported so far this year in Somalia, while a total of 178 incidents have been reported globally, down from 352 in 2011, Xinhua reported.

IMB Director Capt. Pottengal Mukundan attributed the drop to the combined efforts by foreign navies which have helped in reducing the number of attacks off the coast of Somalia.

"It's encouraging to see the huge decrease in maritime piracy and armed robbery over the last few years, thanks mainly to international navies deterring pirates off East Africa, and improved on board security," said Mukundan.

"However, there has been a worrying new rise in attacks against small coastal tankers in southeast Asia. We advise small tankers in particular to remain vigilant in these waters and report all attacks and suspicious small craft to the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre."

The drop in incidents of piracy is a big relief to shipping companies using the Indian Ocean who have been the target of pirates. They often pay heavy ransoms to secure the release of their ships and the crew.

According to the report, in the first nine months of 2014, pirates killed three crew, kidnapped five and took 369 seafarers hostage. A total of 17 vessels were hijacked, 124 were boarded and 10 were fired upon. There were 27 further reports of attempted attacks.

The African maritime industry, along the Indian Ocean, has been greatly affected by piracy that has raised the costs of shipping as insurance companies and private ship security companies increased their premiums to mitigate the risks.

--IANS/EFE

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