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A 96% Reduction in Global Abductions by Pirates in 2022

  • Date

    2023.03.08.

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    1004

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- Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries Announces 2022 Global Piracy Incident Trends -

 According to the 2022 Global Piracy Incident Trends Report, published by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (Minister CHO Seung-Hwan) on January 30th (Monday), the number of global pirate incidents has decreased by about 13% from 132 cases in 2021 to 115 in 2022, while the number of abductions of sea crew demanding ransoms has shown a drastic reduction (about 96%) from 57 down to 2 incidents.

 The analysis of last year's piracy statistics revealed that there were a number of different types of significant piracy incidents in waters around the globe with diverse characteristics worth taking note of. Within the waters of the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, previously notorious for pirates kidnapping sea crew and demanding ransoms, the number of abductions decreased significantly year on year (57 → 2 incidents), while the number of cargo thefts have gradually increased in recent months instead. A heightened level of vigilance is required as pirates are becoming more structured and sophisticated in their modes of theft and transportation, for example, by boarding vessels that are about 200 knots (approximately 370km) offshore, threatening the crew with guns, and carrying away the cargo (oil) on pre-prepared vessels.

 However, despite the decreasing trend in piracy incidents, Asia was the only region which recorded a year-on-year increase by about 19% (59 → 70). This was mainly due to the continued increase in offshore armed robbery nearby the Singapore Strait, which had spiked since 2020. While the Latin Americas has shown the biggest reduction by about 33% (36 → 24), prevention is still necessary as the risk of robbery targeting boats that are moored at ports with weak security remains a persistent problem.

 Meanwhile, there were no piracy incidents in 2020 in the Gulf of Aden of Somalia, where Korea's Cheonghae Unit has been dispatched to carry out convoy operations for vessels. While analysis show that the activities of the joint naval forces, including that of Korea, has clear suppressive effect in the region, experts still voice concerns that pirates may restart their activities in these waters as a result of continued instability within Somalia.

 Director Lee Min-Joong, the Head of the Maritime Safety Management Division at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries commented, “while we see a generic falling trend in piracy incidents around the world, threats remain in the waters of West Africa and the Singapore Strait.” He also encouraged “thorough preparations in dangerous maritime regions, especially the waters of West Africa, in consideration of regional piracy characteristics.”

 More information on the 2022 Piracy Incidents Trend Analysis can be found on the GICOMS (General Information Center on Maritime Safety & Security) website (www. gicoms.go.kr) of the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries.