On 9 February, a Yemeni dhow (sailing boat) was attacked by Somali pirates near the town of Eyl in Somalia. After a lull of almost 10 years, more than 340 acts of piracy and banditry were recorded in 2024, compared with 295 in 2023. Attacks have increased particularly in Southeast Asia.
What’s modern day piracy and how has it evolved ?
Modern piracy is defined in Article 101 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). It is any attack carried out by force against maritime vessels on the high seas using violence (kidnapping, murder, confinement, theft, pillage) for private ends. The term ‘piracy’ is used to describe attacks in international waters, which do not belong to the jurisdiction of any State. If the attack is perpetrated in territorial waters, it is considered brigandage.
According to the Journal of Open Humanities & International Chamber of Commerce, modern piracy is at its most active between 1999 and 2004 and 2010 and 2012. Each year, attacks cause billions of dollars in economic loss worldwide. Pirates may act alone, often to support their families. They may operate in gangs, often affiliated to mafias or triads. These gangs are found mainly in Asia and sometimes in America. There are also pirates linked to terrorist groups.
Thanks to several military deployments, the construction of bases and increased surveillance, the number of recorded pirate attacks has fallen drastically over the last ten years. But in 2024, several incidents were reported. Although the number remained ‘low’ compared with the beginning of the 21st century, violence against crews was on the increase. The main reason for this is that ransom demands are ‘more profitable’ than ‘simple’ theft. Pirates are moving further and further from the coast, because beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones it is more difficult for coastal states to intervene.
What do modern day pirates do ?
Unlike the pirates of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, modern pirates do not sail in search of treasure, nor do they act on behalf of their governments. But the profit motive remains. The causes varied: poverty, political and economic instability. Modern pirates attack merchant ships, cargo ships, containers, bulk carriers, tankers, sometimes even private yachts (like the S/V Quest, whose 4 hostages were shot dead by Somali pirates in 2011), stealing cargo and goods, sometimes even ships themselves. They take sailors hostage and demand ransoms either to free the crew or to return a boat.
Their loot consists mainly of spare parts, petrol and various goods that they can resell. Safes are also targeted, as they contain the cash pay of sailors who are away at sea for several months at a time. They attack merchant ships, which are slow moving, or take advantage of the narrow straits and reduced speed of ships to carry out their attacks. Many of them make a living from piracy.
Technological advancements in modern piracy tacticts
Today’s pirates no longer need sea charts or compasses; they use modern technology such as GPS and satellite telephones to locate, track and divert ships. Depending on the territory, they use a variety of weapons (AK-47s, rocket launchers, RPG-7s). In the Gulf of Guinea, pirates mainly use handguns and long guns. Many men are trained, including in theory. To carry out certain operations, such as bunkering an oil tanker, many of them have technical knowledge and a solid grasp of navigation. They use fast boats, attached to mother ships when the attacks take place far from the coast.
In the Gulf of Aden, and particularly in Somalia, piracy is motivated by poor management of coastal waters and poverty. Several ‘pirates’ are fighting illegal foreign overfishing. Some form networks comprising translators, negotiators and people responsible for ensuring that goods are stored.
In Asia, many attacks are carried out from small boats, sampans, using bladed weapons and KRISS (machine pistols).
Impact of seafarers and maritime operations
While the number of attacks has fallen over the last 10 years, thanks in particular to the development of new technologies in the fight against piracy, the pirate threat remains very high. Violence against crews is on the increase. Between January and June 2024, 85 people were kidnapped off the coast of Somalia, compared with 36 during the same period in 2023.
The IMB (International Maritime Bureau) reports 116 piracy attacks (according to the UNCLOS definition, so acts of banditry are not counted) worldwide in 2024, compared with 120 in 2023 and 115 in 2022. The number of seafarers taken hostage rose from 41 in 2022 to 73 in 2023 and 126 in 2024. Despite the reduction in attacks, the threat is real. In addition to the ship’s crew, the global economic sector is under threat. Piracy attacks slow down maritime operations and have a significant financial impact. In some countries, the money stolen by pirates linked to gangs is used to support criminal activities such as smuggling and human trafficking. Maritime trade passes through several points regularly attacked by pirates (Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Singapore Strait). In the Gulf of Guinea, the groups have become increasingly well organised since 2017.
Why do pirate rob ships, and what are the economic and financial implications for the maritime industry ?
Before, most pirates worked for their governments. Today, it’s a different story. Sea piracy is the consequence of what is happening on land: political instability, economic crisis, oil shortages, famine, poorly managed security of territorial waters. Proximity to strategic points in world maritime trade encourages attacks. The motivations of modern piracy are the same as those of piracy in the past: money and profit. Some pirates attack to provide for their families, others for opportunistic reasons. In Somalia, a number of fishermen have become pirates in order to combat foreign overfishing and the crews of foreign vessels that come to fish illegally in Somali waters. Some destroy equipment, depriving local fishermen of their resources.
The threat of modern piracy is spreading internationally. It has consequences for coastal countries. Putting in place the means to combat brigandage and piracy is costly. The attacks and delays caused by piracy are driving up the price of insurance and the development of private security companies, leading to high inflation in maritime freight. The price of goods (food, oil) for consumers is also rising. In the Caribbean, the attacks on yachts in 2017 drastically reduced tourism, with a consequent economic impact.
Modern Piracy : Where are pirates still active ?
Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Pirates of the Caribbean were more likely to be found around Haiti, the Bahamas and Jamaica. Modern-day Caribbean pirates operate more in the waters of Venezuela, the island of Trinidad (one of the islands of Trinidad and Tobago), Guyana and Suriname. Most acts of piracy involve economic conflicts, drug trafficking and wars over fishing grounds. According to the Mica Centre’s 2022 report, attacks will increase in this area between 2015 and 2022. Social inequality is one of the main factors. The year 2022 sees a drop in piracy, but some ports, such as in Brazil and Peru, are still under threat. According to the IMB PRC, the attackers are armed and violent, and usually attack ships at night, when they are docked.
Worldwide, the Gulf of Guinea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, the Sulu and Celebes Seas, the Strait of Malacca, the Singapore Strait, the Indian Ocean, Lake Falcon and the Bay of Bengal are the areas with the highest piracy rates. The IMB reports the highest rates in Somali waters, the Gulf of Guinea and Indonesia. Until recently, the Gulf of Guinea was considered the most dangerous maritime area. Despite a recent resurgence, piracy has decreased significantly in the Gulf of Aden. In 2024, the Singapore Strait and Indonesian waters recorded the most incidents. 43 attacks were reported in the Singapore Strait, compared with 37 in 2023, and 22 in Indonesia, compared with 18 in 2023. In the 30 years since 1993, Indonesia has recorded the most attacks.
Gulf of Guinea Piracy – organized piracy and kidnapping
In 2020, the Gulf of Guinea is considered the most dangerous region in the world. It is one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, with a wealth of fish and offshore oil resources. It is also a transit route for drug trafficking. Between 2020 and 2023, 1/3 of attacks and 95% of kidnappings of sailors will take place in the Gulf of Guinea.
Pirates attack fishing boats, oil tankers, tankers and also pipelines. They bunker stolen ships (the ‘provisioning of a ship with fuel for its propulsion’). They have become increasingly well organised over the years, benefiting from technical and geographical knowledge, and have mastered sophisticated weaponry, suspected of being acquired through corrupt security agents. They engage in kidnapping for ransom, operating alongside ships, in territorial waters, and increasingly in international waters as a result of increased piracy surveillance. In 2023, the crew of the Monjasa Reformer was attacked in international waters, 138 miles from the port of Pointe-Noire in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The crew was found 5 days later. These attacks outside territorial waters require more organisation on the part of the pirates, and are more difficult for the coastal authorities to access.
Many of these are organised gangs, such as Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa and MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta). The creation of MEND is mainly the result of security instability in Nigeria, atrocities committed by the terrorist group Boko Haram, and the poor distribution of revenue generated by oil resources. Illegal fishing has an impact on the local economy, leading to losses, and oil activities pollute the Delta. Water pollution is a disaster for local fishermen.
Attacks in the Gulf of Guinea lead to higher shipping costs, inflation on freight and a consequent impact on regional economic development. Despite the ever-present threat, the area suffers fewer assaults than the Singapore Strait.
Southest Asia Piracy – Opportunistic piracy in the Singapore Strait
Between 1993 and 2024, the regions most affected by piracy are South-East Asia and the Pacific. In 2015, 30% of global attacks took place in Indonesia. In the Singapore Strait, attacks increase between 2021 and 2022. In the first half of 2024, no fewer than 13 attacks were recorded.
China and Japan import almost half the world’s oil. These imports pass through the Straits of Malacca, which links the Pacific and Indian Oceans, and the Singapore Strait to the South China Sea. More than a third of the world’s trade and half of its energy resources pass through this strait, in tankers and oil tankers. Pirates in this region have two advantages. Around the Straits of Singapore and Malacca are several small islands, which they use as hideouts and bases. This allows them to make a living from their practices. The many anchorages are also an opportunity for theft.
There is a lot of traffic in the straits, and sometimes two ships are transferring goods. It is very easy for pirates to pass themselves off as merchant ships and steal the cargo in this way. They mainly steal equipment and fuel, but are less involved in hostage-taking and ransom demands.
Indian Ocean Piracy – Resurgence of piracy off Somalia
The International Maritime Bureau reports an increase in kidnappings in the first half of 2024 compared with 2023. After a major spike in attacks in 2011 (almost 600), the military measures put in place have enabled the piracy rate to fall. While the number of attacks is falling, the number of kidnappings is rising. In March 2024, a hostage was taken on the MV Abdullah in the Gulf of Aden. They were freed almost a month later, after paying a large ransom. The pirates were operating further and further from the coast, sometimes more than 1,000 miles away.
The Gulf of Aden is also a strategic region for world trade, mainly due to its proximity to the Red Sea. The reasons for piracy, in addition to poor management of the resources of the territorial waters, are competition from international powers for influence in the countries of the Horn of Africa, instability, famine and terrorism (the populations face the al-Shabab group, one of the most powerful branches of al-Qaeda).
Against the backdrop of the conflict between the Israeli state and Hamas, which began at the end of 2023, Houthi attacks on merchant ships in the Red Sea are one of the factors behind the resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden.
How can we stop the modern piracy and what are the strategic responses ?
To combat piracy and banditry, ships have been improving their security technology over the years. Numerous military operations, alliances and deployments are gradually being put in place. In 2008, Operation Atalanta, initiated by France and launched by the EU, was tasked with combating piracy and insecurity in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. Between 2020 and 2022, the Atalanta teams will carry out several maritime surveillance missions, then gradually scale down operations as Somalia sets up its own to combat insecurity.
In 2009, representatives from several countries (including Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, Yemen and Madagascar) signed the Djibouti Code of Conduct to combat armed attacks and acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. Other countries (Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Saudi Arabia) subsequently signed. In all, 20 nations signed the Code. Thanks to international naval forces, piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden dropped.
Several organisations were set up across the globe. In 1981, the IMB, a branch of the World Chamber of Commerce, was set up to combat piracy and banditry on the high seas. In 1991, it set up the Piracy Reporting Centre. The IMO (International Maritime Organization) oversees regulations and safety at sea. Piracy Reporting Center is an organisation whose mission is to track down ships taken hostage and provide assistance in the event of hijacking. ASEAN (The Association of Southeast Asian Nations) is an organisation that brings together several Asian states (Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos and Thailand), which are working together to combat piracy. They set up surveillance patrols and military manoeuvres.
Numerous private security companies are emerging, offering their services (security and warning systems, armed escorts, instructor training) to shipowners. With the development of new technologies and the adaptability of modern pirates, it is necessary to use more sophisticated means, and to find more advanced legal solutions in the event of attacks on the high seas. Piracy will always exist as long as the factors on land (famine, security instability, societal inequalities) remain. For this reason, vigilance must be maintained.
