“Worrying”: the number of pirate attacks on ships will increase again in 2023

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105 ships were boarded, nine attacks were attempted, four ships were hijacked and two ships were fired upon, the shipping office, part of the International Chamber of Commerce, said on Thursday. At the beginning of 2023, the experts reported sharply declining figures. Ships with German participation were hit a total of 14 times in 2023, making them the most affected after Singapore (28).

“The growing number of attacks on ships and crews is worrying. They show once again that piracy is not a relic of the past, but a very current challenge,” said ICC Germany Secretary General Oliver Wieck. “In addition, as a result of the conflict in the Middle East, politically motivated attacks by militant Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea are increasing.”

The IMB warns in particular of the increasing danger to ship crews: the number of crew members who were held hostage or kidnapped increased from 41 to 73 and from 2 to 14. Another ten crew members were threatened, four were injured and one was attacked. .

For the first time since 2017, a ship – a bulk carrier with 18 crew members – was attacked off the coast of Somalia. The cargo ship, believed to be carrying Somali pirates, was freed by the Indian Navy shortly afterwards.

A focus of piracy remains the West African Gulf of Guinea. Although the number of reported incidents in the Gulf is decreasing, with 22 last year and 19 in 2022, “three of the four kidnappings reported globally last year occurred in these waters, which are therefore still classified as dangerous,” according to the report. it in the message. There is also no reason to release everything for the road to Singapore. (SDA)

Source: Blick