Piracy incidents drop to near 30-year lows

Piracy incidents around the world were at their lowest levels in nearly 30 years for the first half of 2022.
According to statistics from the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) the 58 reported incidents of piracy were the lowest for the first half of any year since 1994.

In the first six months of 2022, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) reported 55 vessels boarded, two attempted attacks and one vessel hijacked.

IMB director Michael Howlett said: “Not only is this good news for the seafarers and the shipping industry it is positive news for trade which promotes economic growth. But the areas of risk shift and the shipping community must remain vigilant. We encourage governments and responding authorities to continue their patrols which create a deterrent effect.”

The Gulf of Guinea and the Singapore Straits were the two areas with the highest amount of attacks in the first six months of the year.