Modern Maritime Piracy: An Overview of Somali Piracy, Gulf of Guinea Piracy and South East Asian Piracy

Maritime Piracy has existed since ancient times. In recent decades there has been a resurgence in piracy. The major focus for much of the past 10 years has been on piracy in the waters off the Horn of Africa conducted almost exclusively by Somali pirates. Attention has been drawn also to piracy in the West African Gulf of Guinea and in South East Asia. This paper draws upon the data resources of the International Chamber of Commerce - International Maritime Bureau to develop statistical profiles of piracy over the 11 year period 2003-2013 for these regions. The actions of the pirates have economic and human consequences. A World Bank study estimated the annual, global cost of Somali piracy alone to be US$ 18 billion. Over the time period analyzed more than 6000 crew were held hostage, or kidnapped, for ransom. Guns were the most frequently cited weapon used in attacks. The data shows that the most of the successful attacks were those on ships at berth while the success rates were lowest for attacks on steaming ships. Drawing upon additional information in Reports of the UN Office of Drugs and Crime, studies by the World Bank and the ReCAAP Information Sharing Center, the paper discusses the differences in the strategies used by the Somali pirates, those employed by the pirates in the Gulf of Guinea and those in South East Asia.