JUST as shipping finds itself caught up in geopolitics and under attack in the approaches to the Red Sea, a piracy threat in much the same area has re-emerged after a six-year hiatus.

On Dec 14, 2023, a Handymax bulk carrier was boarded and hijacked, it is believed, by Somali-based pirates. According to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the incident took place about 700 nautical miles east of Bosaso in Somalia. That places the incident way out in the Indian Ocean.

In the immediate aftermath of the hijacking, there was speculation whether this was a politically motivated attack connected to the Houthis’ campaign against international shipping. However, the attack now appears to bear all the hallmarks of piracy, which is typically aimed at extorting a ransom for the release of the ship and its crew.

Shipping newspaper Tradewinds has in fact reported that the hijacked vessel, the 41,600 tonne deadweight Ruen, is being held for ransom.

Moreover, the IMB has cautioned that reports also suggest two dhows – a type of vessel with potential use as a mother ship for further attacks – were subsequently hijacked. Back in the days of rampant piracy in the area, dhows would stay at sea for weeks and were used to enable hijackings to take place hundreds of miles off the coast.

This suggests the Somali pirates have calculated that they can take advantage of three factors: complacency, warships being tied up off Yemen, and a general downgrading of the once highly effective multinational anti-piracy naval effort.

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An international effort

Back in 2009, the International Maritime Organization convened a meeting of regional states in Djibouti. The outcome was the Djibouti Code of Conduct on the Repression of Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in the Western Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The document committed signatories “to cooperate to the fullest possible extent, and in a manner consistent with international law, in the repression of piracy and armed robbery against ships”.

That helped, but two factors really led to the suppression of Somali-based piracy: effective anti-piracy measures – known as best management practices – by merchant ships and, crucially, robust anti-piracy actions by many of the world’s navies.

Responding to the recent hijacking, IMB director Michael Howlett said: “This is a cause for concern, and the IMB is once again calling for all masters and vessel owners to continue following the recommendations and reporting procedures as per the latest version of the best management practices.” He added that the incident demonstrated the continued capabilities of the Somali pirates.

So we could be going back to ships with fire hoses rigged, protected by razor wire and crew ready to retreat into a citadel. Perhaps we will even go back to having armed security teams, with all the additional issues that raises.

However, ironically, the Red Sea crisis may mean fewer ships have to run the gauntlet of the Somali pirates as, at least for now, many are heading for the Cape of Good Hope, rather than the Suez Canal. So perhaps the pirates will not find many easy pickings.

Moreover, while the Red Sea crisis is diverting a lot of resources in terms of warships, the Indian Navy is reported to be very active in the Indian Ocean.

More serious attacks in 2023

To put things in a global context, the recently published IMB annual report for 2023 recorded 120 incidents of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide last year, compared to 115 in 2022.

Actually, the situation has deteriorated more than those figures suggest. Many of the incidents were more serious than were typical in 2022. IMB reported that there were 105 vessels boarded, nine attempted attacks, four vessels hijacked and two fired upon.

Worryingly, the number of crew taken hostage on their vessels increased to 73 in 2023 from 41 a year earlier; the number of those kidnapped and taken off their ships rose from two to 14. Also, 10 crew were threatened, four injured and one assaulted in 2023.

Since 2017, the main area of concern has been in the Gulf of Guinea. On the face of it, the situation there is much improved, with 22 attacks in 2023 compared to 19 in 2022, 35 in 2021 and a staggering 81 in 2020.

Nevertheless, as IMB has pointed out, the Gulf of Guinea accounted for three of the four globally reported hijackings, all 14 crew kidnappings, and 75 per cent of reported crew hostages. Two crew members were injured in 2023. That is surprisingly low given the propensity of pirates in this region to use violence. But the waters off West Africa are still dangerous ones for seafarers.

Incidents in South-east Asia

Meanwhile, the IMB has warned, the Singapore Strait remains “an area of concern due to the high number of incidents”. It has said that, while considered low-level opportunistic crimes, 95 per cent of reported incidents were successful from the criminals’ perspective. There were 37 reported incidents overall in 2023 compared to 38 in 2022, but that slight decrease should not be seen as a sign of improvement.

As the IMB has noted: “Crew continue to be harmed, with nine taken hostage and two threatened. Guns were reported in three recorded incidents and knives in 15.”

Those statistics of course relate to reported incidents. “We are concerned due to the late reporting and underreporting by vessels. The IMB continues to encourage timely reporting of all incidents, as it contributes to a more accurate understanding of risk,” said Howlett.

Also in this region, a crew member was injured and needed medical attention after a bulk carrier was boarded in the Malacca Straits in October 2023. The previous reported incident of a seafarer injured by pirates in the area had been in 2015.

Elsewhere in South-east Asia, reported incidents in the Indonesian archipelago increased from 10 in 2022 to 18 in 2023. Half of the incidents involved weapons; seven crew were threatened and two taken hostage.

Overall, these are depressing reports. Hopes that piracy and robbery at sea were on a long-term downward trajectory have proved premature.

The Indian Ocean hijacking underlines the need to avoid complacency. If we take our eye off the ball, the pirates will seize the opportunity to go back to their lucrative criminality.