Low Point

Pirate activity in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean appears to be going through something of a change.

With no succesful hijackings since the end of May, and with three vessels being freed this month. It seems that pirates are holding the lowest number of vessels for some time, while also experiencing the highest number of failed attacks.

The monsoon storms have led pirates to operate in the Bab-El-Mendeb Straits – and over the course of the weekend there was a flurry of activity, with a trio of attacks.

The attacks failed, one vessel had an armed team onboard which returned fire. While the other two relied on razor wire and the Master’s expertise to break them free.

It seems that with the number of vessels held being low and with pirates repeatedly failing to grab new vessels that finally the tide may possibly be turning with the lessons learned from past attacks.

However this is not a time for complacency, as the pirates are known for their tenacity and innovation, but it is interesting to note that the pirates don’t always have things their own way.