Pirates are picking up speed
The International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) of the International Chamber of Commerce (CCS) in London has expressed its concern about the rebound in piracy incidents recorded during the first nine months of 2023 in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea and the Strait of Singapore, especially.
According to this report, 99 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against merchant ships occurred over this period of nine months, an increase of 10% compared to the same period of 2022. Of them, 85 ships were boarded, three ships were kidnapped, two were shot at and there were another nine attempted attacks.
The waters of the Gulf of Guinea recorded a worrying growth in the number of attacks: from a total of 14 in the first nine months of 2022, it rose to 21 in the same period of this year.
For the director of IMB, Michael Howlett, "the Gulf of Guinea continues to be a region of concern, with a rise in recorded incidents, compared to the downward trend that we had observed in the last two years.” Furthermore, incidents are also mounting up in the Singapore Strait. In the first nine months of 2023, 33 were registered, compared to 31 in the same period of 2022. (cd)