2024 in piracy

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2024 in piracy included 33 reports of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships to the International Maritime Bureau during the first quarter of the year. Incidents included 24 vessels boarded, six of which experienced attempted attacks; two hijacked; and one fired upon. Crew continued to suffer violence, with 35 crew taken hostage, nine kidnapped, and one threatened during three first three months of the year. [1]

Contents

Piracy surged in the Gulf of Aden at the start of the year. [2] Increased incidents of piracy and hijacking in the Somali basin continued to be reported. [3] When Houthis began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, the year before, Somali pirates seized the opportunity to increase their attacks on ships off the Horn of Africa. [4] [5]

Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea extended beyond the Israel-Hamas war to, as stated by a Houthi spokesman in January 2024, response to "American-British aggression against our country". US Central Command then stated that the Houthi attacks "have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza" and that Houthis had "fired indiscriminately into the Red Sea" to target vessels, affecting more than 40 nations. [6]

In March, shipping routes reported as the most dangerous in the world due to piracy (aside from hijackings and other incidents in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden related to the Israel-Hamas war) were identified as: the Singapore Strait, Gulf of Guinea and the Strait of Malacca. [7]

Attacks and events

INS Sumitra

On January 29, the INS Sumitra rescued a hijacked fishing boat from Somalia pirates in the Gulf of Aden. [8] [9]

MV Abdullah

On March 12, armed pirates in small boats attacked Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier MV Abdullah. [10] All 23 crew members aboard were taken hostage. [11] Somali pirates released the vessel and crew on April 14, following payment of $5 million (€4.7 million) ransom. [12]

MV Ruen

On March 16, MV Ruen, following its hijacking in the Gulf of Guinea in December 2023, [13] was rescued by the Indian Air Force, which airdropped two rigid inflatable combat boats carrying eight Indian Navy MARCOS commandos, [14] rescuing 17 sailors and disarming 35 pirates on board. [15] [16] [17] Later that month, India escorted the captured Somali pirates to stand trial for the hijacking the vessel and kidnapping of its crew in Mumbai. [18]

Magalie

On April 4, the Panama-flagged Magalie was attacked in the Caribbean [19] by two Haitian gangs: 5 Seconds and Taliban. (Unrelated to the Afghan Taliban.) The Magalie was captured by the armed gangs in the Varreux fuel terminal at Port-Au-Prince. The crew was taken hostage and a sixth of the cargo, consisting entirely of rice (the primary staple food of Haiti), was stolen. On April 7, the Haitian National Police stormed the seized freighter, ensuing in a five-hour gun battle with the gangs, [20] in which two police officers were injured and several of the two gang's members turned pirate were killed. [19] The ship, owned by U.S. shipping company Claude and Magalie, [21] [22] was recovered by the Haitian police force. [20] The fate of the crew and any other seafarers aboard the Magalie, who were all taken hostage, remained unknown. [21]

Al-Kambar 786

On March 28, Al-Kambar 786, was boarded by nine armed pirates southwest of the Yemeni island of Socotra. INS Sumedha and INS Trishul intercepted the vessel on March 29. The Indian Navy engaging in "over 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures" that led to the pirates surrender. The crew was unharmed. [23] The pirates were taken to India to face prosecution under its Maritime Anti-Piracy Act 2022. [24]

See also

Red Sea crisis—2024 Houthi attacks on commercial vessels

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2023 in piracy was marked by 120 events of maritime piracy against ships, according to the annual Piracy and Armed Robbery Report of the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB). 105 vessels were boarded, nine additional attacks attempted, two fired upon, and four vessels hijacked.

2022 in piracy resulted in 115 reports of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships to the International Maritime Bureau. 288 acts of global piracy and robbery were recorded by the MICA Centre. Piracy had substantially increased in the Gulf of Guinea; the year began with five incidents each month, through March, in the Gulf, where acts of piracy had become heightened during 2015 through 2020, while, overall, piracy incidents declined globally.

References

  1. ↑ "New report highlights continued threat of Somali piracy 2023 03 IMB Report 1". icc-ccs.org. Commercial Crime Services. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  2. ↑ "Terrorism, militancy and pirates: Gulf of Aden hijacking underlines naval challenges". The Indian Express. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  3. ↑ "Paying the price may cause piracy to rise". safety4sea.com. Safety4Sea. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  4. ↑ "Bangladeshs growing role in maritime security". observerbd.com. The Daily Observer. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  5. ↑ "Prices for maritime security guards in Red Sea shoot up following Houthis attacks". TASS. Russia. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  6. ↑ "Houthis attack British-linked tanker Marlin Luanda in Gulf of Aden". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
  7. ↑ "Pirates, hijacks and hurricanes: The world's most dangerous shipping routes revealed". TBS News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Indian Navy rescues Iranian vessel hijacked by pirates". Hindustan Times. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  9. ↑ "Disruptions to supply chains on the high seas". FleetWatch.co.za. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  10. ↑ "Pirates seize control of cargo ship near Somalia, say owners". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  11. ↑ "Live Piracy & Armed Robbery Report 2024". icc-ccs.org. Commercial Crime Services. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  12. ↑ Abdiqani, Hassani. "Somali pirates say hijacked ship MV Abdullah released after $5 million (€4.7 million) ransom was paid". Reuters. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  13. ↑ "Crew members missing after Gulf of Guinea pirate attack". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  14. ↑ Peri, Dinakar (2024-04-21). "Indian Navy's 40-hour operation! Pirates shot down Navy's drone, Marine Commandos airdropped". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  15. ↑ "Navy rescues 17 crew from hijacked ship, captures 35 pirates after 40-hour op". India Today. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
  16. ↑ "Ships, Drones, Commandos: How Indian Navy Rescued Hijacked Vessel". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  17. ↑ "India's navy takes control of bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuates crew". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  18. ↑ "Captured Somali pirates arrive in India to face trial over ship hijacking". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  19. 1 2 "Five-hour gun battle between gangsters and police sees ship freed". tradewindsnews.com. TradeWinds. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  20. 1 2 "Haiti's Gangs Try Their Hand at Piracy, Hijacking a Ship Full of Food". maritime-executive.com. The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  21. 1 2 "Haitian gangs rob cargo ship of food". Insurance Marine News. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  22. ↑ "CLAUDE & MAGALIE SHIPPING, Miami FL, United States of America". world-ships.com. World Shipping Register. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
  23. ↑ "Indian Navy rescues Iranian fishing vessel hijacked by pirates". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  24. ↑ "9 pirates being brought to India to face legal action, says Navy a day after rescuing 23 Pakistani crew from Iranian fishing vessel". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
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