Drop in Piracy

Pirate attacks off Somalia dropped to zero for the first full month since the menace emerged more than five years ago, new figures show.

Piracy attacks drop to zero for first full month in five years

By Mike Pflanz, The Telegraph

There has been no successful hijack since June 19, when a fishing dhow was seized, and no ship has been fired upon or a boarding attempted since June 26, when a Maltese-flagged cargo ship was attacked, according to data from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).

It marks the longest unbroken stretch of peaceful transit through the waters off Somalia, and was attributed to the increased use of armed guards on ships, international naval patrols, and bad weather.

“This is traditionally a quiet time for pirate attacks, but there has always been at least a handful of incidences even during the monsoon months of July and August,” said Cyrus Mody at the IMB’s London office.

“However since June 26 this year, we have seen no activity whatsoever in the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Arabia or the Somali Basin.

“It’s the first time we’ve had a full month where nothing’s happened since before Somali piracy really grew into a major problem in 2007.”

The pirates’ temporary disappearance comes on the heels of a 60 per cent reduction in their activity in the first six months of 2012 compared to the same stretch last year, from 163 incidents to 69.

Despite this, as many….[access full article]