LONDON – Pirate activity rose worldwide over the course of January. According to maritime risk company AKE the number of attacks increased by 170 per cent from December.
A total of 46 attacks were reported, with a rise in incidents in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Guinea, South China Sea and even Latin American waters.
The number of attempted attacks off Somalia was comparable to February 2011, despite suggestions that the widespread use of armed guards and naval exercises had reduced the piracy threat since then.
According to AKE maritime analyst Rory Lamrock, the pirates do not appear to be deterred by heightened security measures.
“Naval operations and increased security on merchant vessels may have significantly reduced the number of successful hijackings, but the risk of being approached or attacked is unchanged.”
The surge in piracy is not limited to the East African coast. Incidents off Nigeria are causing concern to the shipping and energy industries there as well. Where once attacks were limited to local creeks and coastal waters, incidents should now be anticipated up to, and possibly over, 100 nautical miles from the shore.
“Merchant vessels are being attacked further out to sea, with militants and criminals reportedly hijacking local fishing vessels for use as motherships” according to Lamrock, “I would expect the range to increase further over the coming months as tactics evolve.”
The majority of attacks in Asia and Latin America involved instances of armed robbery in ports and anchorages. However, a merchant vessel was chased by armed men in a speedboat 45 nautical miles off the Colombian coastline. This highlights the need for vessel security outside traditional high risk areas, although armed measures should not be regarded as the automatic response.
“While a lot of shipping firms are instinctively turning to arms, an alert and well trained crew are actually the most important element of a successful counter-piracy strategy, no matter where they are in the world”, says Lamrock.
This article was posted by Neptune Maritime Security via akegroup.com. To find out more, please visit www.neptunemaritimesecurity.com
Article source: http://neptunemaritimesecurity.posterous.com/ake-piracy-increases-in-january
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