Where Have All the Pirates Gone?
Breaking a five-year record, no pirate attacks off of Africa’s east
coast and mainly Somalia have been reported in the last month. The last
documented attack was on a Maltese-flagged cargo vessel on June 26th –
well over 30 days ago.
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has stated that this is normally a quiet time of the year for maritime piracy, but this is the first time where nothing has happened in July and August (better known as the monsoon months) so far since 2007. There are generally a small handful of attacks.
The month of inactivity follows a 60 percent drop in piracy attacks in the region over the first half of this year. [See the IMB’s latest report – Six month drop in world piracy] The decline in Somali piracy is often credited to the preventive counter piracy tactics now employed by the international navies.
A rising number of countries have authorized the use of armed guards aboard ships transiting the dangerous waters off the Horn of Africa. Belgium and Italy just recently authorized armed security, joining countries like the U.S. and the U.K. No ship carrying armed guards has been hijacked.
Source: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/where-have-all-the-pirates-gone
The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has stated that this is normally a quiet time of the year for maritime piracy, but this is the first time where nothing has happened in July and August (better known as the monsoon months) so far since 2007. There are generally a small handful of attacks.
The month of inactivity follows a 60 percent drop in piracy attacks in the region over the first half of this year. [See the IMB’s latest report – Six month drop in world piracy] The decline in Somali piracy is often credited to the preventive counter piracy tactics now employed by the international navies.
A rising number of countries have authorized the use of armed guards aboard ships transiting the dangerous waters off the Horn of Africa. Belgium and Italy just recently authorized armed security, joining countries like the U.S. and the U.K. No ship carrying armed guards has been hijacked.
Source: http://www.maritime-executive.com/article/where-have-all-the-pirates-gone
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