Eleven Cases of Piracy Against Ships This Year in Venezuela

Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea and Southeast Asia remains a serious threat to merchant vessels navigating both areas, explains the latest quarterly report from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). It also highlights the increase in attacks on the coasts of Venezuela in recent months and other incidents recorded in Libyan waters, including an attempted boarding, which necessitates the need for vigilance in other areas and not just those classified as potentially dangerous.

During the first nine months of the current year, there have been 121 piracy attacks, compared to 141 recorded during the same period last year. Of these, 92 vessels were boarded, 13 were shot at, five vessels were hijacked, and there were another eleven failed attack attempts. In the third quarter, there were no pirate attacks in the Somalia and Gulf of Aden area.

Nigeria remains one of the most dangerous areas for navigation. In the third quarter, 20 incidents were recorded, in 18 of which firearms were used. Of the 49 crew members kidnapped worldwide, 39 were taken in seven incidents in the Gulf of Guinea waters.

In the case of Venezuela, as during the first nine months of last year, only three minor incidents were recorded; in the same period this year, there have already been eleven attacks by pirates armed with knives or firearms, mostly against anchored vessels, explains the ICC and IMB report.

Among the incidents recorded in the third quarter of 2017, the hijacking of an oil tanker in Malaysian waters stands out, which, following the rapid intervention of that country's Maritime Security Agency, concluded with ten pirates detained and the vessel released. The perpetrators were quickly tried and sentenced to long prison terms.

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