Significant Increase in Somali Pirate Activities… Urging the Industry to Strengthen Piracy Prevention Activities

- Announcement of 2024 Global Piracy Incident Trends by MOF

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF; Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced on Wednesday, February 19 that it had released the 2024 Global Piracy Incident Trends. According to the data, the number of piracy incidents last year decreased compared to 2023 (120 → 116 cases), but the number of passenger damage increased significantly (119 → 151 people) although there were no Korean casualties.

 By region, the number of piracy incidents was highest in Asian waters (88 cases), followed by West Africa (18 cases) and Somalia/Aden Gulf (8 cases). In Asian waters, most incidents traditionally involve petty maritime theft for livelihood purposes. However, there were reports of organized piracy involving ship hijackings and cargo theft (2 cases) last year, warranting increased vigilance.

 In the Somalia/Aden Gulf region where only one incident was reported in 2023, the number surged to 8 cases in 2024, indicating a sharp rise in piracy risks in this area. Three of these vessels were hijacked and two involved temporary detainment (50 crew members), requiring a high level of security measures.

 “The types of piracy incidents are becoming increasingly diverse worldwide, and the damage caused by Somali pirates is increasing. I urge our ships and industries to strengthen their piracy prevention activities by referring to the latest piracy information from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries,” Minister Kang Do-hyung said.

 Anyone can check the “2024 Global Piracy Incident Trends” and “Pirate Risk Index by Sea Area” data on MOF's website for the General Information Center on Maritime Safety & Security (GICOMS; www.gicoms.go.kr).