| Country | |
|---|
| Bangladesh |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh remain a risk for armed robbery against ships; in 2016, the number of attacks against commercial vessels decreased to three over 11 such incidents in 2015
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| Djibouti |
while attacks continued to decrease, the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden remain a high risk for piracy; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, contributed to the drop in incidents; there were no incidents in the Red Sea in 2016, however one ship was fired upon during the first half of 2017; Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO/EUNAVFOR naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years
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| Ecuador |
the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters as at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen; after several years with no incident, in January 2017 a ship anchored in the port of Quayaquil was boarded and robbed
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| Indian Ocean |
although the number of reported incidents of piracy continued to drop in 2016, the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, along the east coast of Africa, the Bay of Bengal, and the Strait of Malacca; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, have reduced incidents of piracy; in response, Somali-based pirates, using hijacked fishing trawlers as "mother ships" to extend their range, shifted operations as far south as the Mozambique Channel, eastward to the vicinity of the Maldives, and northeastward to the Strait of Hormuz; Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years; the EU naval mission continues its operatons in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean; the first half of 2017 has seen an increase in attacks with two incidents in the Gulf of Aden, one in the Red Sea, and four off the coast of Somalia
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| Indonesia |
the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; attacks declined dramatically from 108 incidents in 2015 to 49 in 2016, although Indonesian waters remained the most dangerous in the world; in 2016, 45 commercial vessels were boarded and one hijacked; during 2016 37 crew members were taken hostage; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; Indonesia remains the most dangerous area during the first half of 2017 with more than 20% of all incidents reported world-wide
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| Malaysia |
the International Maritime Bureau reports that the territorial and offshore waters in the Strait of Malacca and South China Sea remain high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; in the past, commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; seven attacks were reported in 2016 including five ships boarded, two hijacked, and 47 crew taken hostage, this is down from 13 attacks in 2015; during the first half of 2017, three attacks were reported including two ships that were boarded and one that was hijacked
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| Nigeria |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the Niger Delta and Gulf of Guinea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery of ships; in 2016, 36 commercial vessels were boarded or attacked compared with 14 attacks in 2015; in the first half of 2017, 31 crew members were abducted in five reported incidents; half of all reports of vessels being fired upon occur in Nigerian waters; Nigerian pirates have extended the range of their attacks to as far away as Cote d'Ivoire and as far as 100 nm offshore
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| Pacific Ocean |
the Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state); although the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of littoral states and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships reports of attacks have generally declined from 2015 to 2016; an emerging threat area lies in the Celebes and Sulu Seas between the Philippines and Malaysia where 12 crew were kidnapped in three incidents during the last quarter of 2016; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom, murdered, or cast adrift
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| Peru |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Peru are a risk for armed robbery against ships; in 2016, 11 attacks against commercial vessels were reported up from none in 2015; most of these occured in the main port of Callao
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| Philippines |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; during 2016, 10 attacks were reported in and around the Philippines including six ships that were boarded, one hijacked, one fired upon, and 18 crew were kidnapped for ransom; an emerging threat area lies in the Celebes and Sulu Seas between the Philippines and Malaysia where 12 crew were kidnapped in three incidents during the last quarter of 2016; it is believed the pirates involved are associated with the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) terrorist organization; during the first six months of 2017, 13 attacks were reported including 10 ships that were boarded, one was fired upon, 10 crew were kidnapped for ransom and two killed; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift
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| Singapore |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; in the Singapore Straits there were nine attacks against commercial vessels in 2015, declining to only two attacks in 2016
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| Somalia |
despite a dramatic drop in the number of attacks in 2016, the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as a region of significant risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; during the first half of 2017, nine vessels were attacked or hijacked compared with two in 2016; Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years; additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators, including the use of on-board armed security teams, have reduced piracy incidents in that body of water; Somali pirates tend to be heavily armed with automatic weapons and rocket propelled grenades; the use of "mother ships" from which skiffs can be launched to attack vessels allows these pirates to extend the range of their operations hundreds of nautical miles offshore
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| Tanzania |
the International Maritime Bureau reports that shipping in territorial and offshore waters in the Indian Ocean remain at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, especially as Somali-based pirates extend their activities south; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
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| Venezuela |
the International Maritime Bureau continues to report the territorial and offshore waters in the Caribbean Sea as at risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen; in 2016, there were five attacks reported and this increased to six attacks in the first half of 2017 making Venezuela the fourth most dangerous area in the World
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| Vietnam |
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial and offshore waters in the South China Sea as high risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargo diverted to ports in East Asia; crews have been murdered or cast adrift; the number of reported incidents declined from 15 in 2015 to seven in 2016, primarily near the port of Vung Tau
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| World |
the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) reports that 2016 saw a continued decrease in global pirate activities; in 2016, pirates attacked a total of 191 ships world-wide including boarding 150 ships, hijacking seven ships, and firing on 12; this activity is down from 246 incidents in 2015; in 2016, the number of hostages dropped to 151, however, the number of seafarers kidnapped for ransom increased dramatically to 62 with over half taken off West Africa;
the first half of 2017 saw 87 incidents compared with 97 during the same time period in 2016; during this six-month period, 63 ships were boarded, 12 fired upon, and four hijacked, resulting in 63 crew members taken hostage, 41 kidnapped for ransom, three injured, and two killed; the Horn of Africa continued to see pirate activities with nine incidents in the first half of 2017, a slight increase over 2016; the decrease in successful pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa was due, in part, to anti-piracy operations by international naval forces, the hardening of vessels, and the increased use of armed security teams aboard merchant ships; despite these preventative measures, the assessed risk remains high;
Operation Ocean Shield, the NATO naval task force established in 2009 to combat Somali piracy, concluded its operations in December 2016 as a result of the drop in reported incidents over the last few years; the EU naval mission continues its operatons in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean; West African piracy is a growing threat with 36 attacks in 2016 compared to 14 in 2015; Nigerian pirates are very aggressive, operating as far as 200 nm offshore and linked with at least three hijackings that occurred in this area; attacks in South Asian waters remain at low levels with a decrease in Bangladesh from 11 incidents in 2015 to three in 2016; Peru reported 11 incidents, up from none in 2015; attacks in Viet Nam declined from 15 in 2015 to seven in 2016
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| Yemen |
the International Maritime Bureau reports offshore waters in the Gulf of Aden are high risk for piracy; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and while underway; crew, passengers, and cargo are held for ransom; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship operators reduced the incidence of piracy in that body of water; one attack was reported in 2016 and one reported during the first half of 2017
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