2024 in piracy
2024 in piracy included 33 reports of maritime piracy and armed robbery against ships to the International Maritime Bureau during the first quarter of the year. Incidents included 24 vessels boarded, six of which experienced attempted attacks; two hijacked; and one fired upon. Crew continued to suffer violence, with 35 seafarers taken hostage, nine kidnapped, and one threatened during the first three months of the year.[1]
Piracy surged in the Gulf of Aden at the start of the year.[2] Increased incidents of piracy and hijacking in the Somali basin continued to be reported.[3] When Houthis began attacking international shipping in the Red Sea, the year before, Somali pirates seized the opportunity to increase their attacks on ships off the Horn of Africa.[4][5]
Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea extended beyond the Israel-Hamas war to, as stated by a Houthi spokesman in January 2024, response to "American-British aggression against our country". US Central Command then stated that the Houthi attacks "have nothing to do with the conflict in Gaza" and that Houthis had "fired indiscriminately into the Red Sea" to target vessels, affecting more than 40 nations.[6]
In March, shipping routes reported as the most dangerous in the world due to piracy (aside from hijackings and other incidents in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden related to the Israel-Hamas war) were identified as: the Singapore Strait, Gulf of Guinea and the Strait of Malacca.[7]
From November 2023 to June 2024, more than 50 ships were attacked by Houthi rebels, resulting in the deaths of three sailors, and a hijacking. US military responded to the missile strikes in the Arabian and Red Seas with a series of attacks on the rebels' radar sites, which facilitated the targeting of maritime vessels; US Central Command reported seven radar sites destroyed in June.[8]
On 12 June, Houthi militants launched their first unmanned, remote-controlled USVs laden with explosives, sinking the MV Tutor, and killing one Filipino crewman. The following month, armed private maritime security contractors destroyed another Houthi drone boat as it approached the (unidentified) merchant ship that they were aboard.[9][10]
In September 2024, the ICC IMB reported that sea piracy and armed robbery incidents were at the lowest levels recorded since 1994, though related crew safety risks persisted.[11]
Attacks and events
[edit]INS Sumitra
[edit]On January 29, the INS Sumitra rescued a hijacked fishing boat from Somalian pirates in the Gulf of Aden.[12][13]
MV Abdullah
[edit]On March 12, armed pirates in small boats attacked Bangladesh-flagged bulk carrier MV Abdullah.[14] All 23 crew members aboard were taken hostage.[15] Somali pirates released the vessel and crew on April 14, following payment of $5 million (€4.7 million) ransom.[16]
MV Ruen
[edit]On March 16, MV Ruen, following its hijacking in the Arabian Sea, approximately 380 nautical miles east of Socotra, Yemen in December 2023,[17] was rescued by the Indian Air Force, which airdropped two rigid inflatable combat boats carrying eight Indian Navy MARCOS commandos,[18] rescuing 17 sailors and disarming 35 pirates on board.[19][20][21] Later that month, India escorted the captured Somali pirates to stand trial for the hijacking the vessel and kidnapping of its crew in Mumbai.[22]
Magalie
[edit]On April 4, the Panama-flagged Magalie was attacked in the Caribbean[23] by two Haitian gangs: 5 Seconds and Taliban. (Unrelated to the Afghan Taliban.) The Magalie was captured by the armed gangs in the Varreux fuel terminal at Port-Au-Prince. The crew was taken hostage and a sixth of the cargo, consisting entirely of rice (the primary staple food of Haiti), was stolen. On April 7, the Haitian National Police stormed the seized freighter, ensuing in a five-hour gun battle with the gangs,[24] in which two police officers were injured and several of the two gang's members turned pirate were killed.[23] The ship, owned by U.S. shipping company Claude and Magalie,[25][26] was recovered by the Haitian police force.[24] The fate of the crew and any other seafarers aboard the Magalie, who were all taken hostage, remained unknown.[25]
Al-Kambar 786
[edit]On March 28, Al-Kambar 786, was boarded by nine armed pirates southwest of the Yemeni island of Socotra. INS Sumedha and INS Trishul intercepted the vessel on March 29. The Indian Navy engaged in "over 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures" that led to the pirates' surrender. The crew was unharmed.[27] The pirates were taken to India to face prosecution under its Maritime Anti-Piracy Act 2022.[28]
MV Tutor
[edit]Dry-bulk carrier MV Tutor was attacked in the Red Sea off Eritrea by the first seafaring Houthi unmanned, remote-controlled drone boat which was laden with explosives, on 12 June 2024, following two attacks a few hours apart,[29] sinking on 18 June.[30]
Cordelia Moon
[edit]Mistaken by Houthis as a British ship, Panama-flagged Cordelia Moon was hit by four missiles fired from a remotely piloted watercraft in the Red Sea on October 1, 2024. The tanker is owned by Amber Shipping Incorporated, and managed by Margao Marine Solutions, which is registered in India.[31]
See also
[edit]Red Sea crisis—2024 Houthi attacks on commercial vessels
References
[edit]- ^ "New report highlights continued threat of Somali piracy 2023 03 IMB Report 1". icc-ccs.org. Commercial Crime Services. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Terrorism, militancy and pirates: Gulf of Aden hijacking underlines naval challenges". The Indian Express. 2024-01-10. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Paying the price may cause piracy to rise". safety4sea.com. Safety4Sea. 16 April 2024. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Bangladeshs growing role in maritime security". observerbd.com. The Daily Observer. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Prices for maritime security guards in Red Sea shoot up following Houthis attacks". TASS. Russia. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Houthis attack British-linked tanker Marlin Luanda in Gulf of Aden". BBC News. Retrieved 8 May 2024.
- ^ "Pirates, hijacks and hurricanes: The world's most dangerous shipping routes revealed". TBS News. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "US launches wave of strikes on Houthi rebel targets in Yemen". EuroNews. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Guards Shoot and Detonate Houthi Bomb Boat Just Yards Away From Impact". maritime-executive.com. The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "DFA hoping missing Filipino seaman still alive". Daily Tribune. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ Lamorena, Josh. "Maritime crime and piracy incidents lowest since 1994, but threats to crews remain". icc-ccs.org. Retrieved 2024-10-23.
- ^ "Indian Navy rescues Iranian vessel hijacked by pirates". Hindustan Times. 2024-01-29. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
- ^ "Disruptions to supply chains on the high seas". FleetWatch.co.za. 3 May 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
- ^ "Pirates seize control of cargo ship near Somalia, say owners". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
- ^ "Live Piracy & Armed Robbery Report 2024". icc-ccs.org. Commercial Crime Services. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Abdiqani, Hassani. "Somali pirates say hijacked ship MV Abdullah released after $5 million (€4.7 million) ransom was paid". Reuters. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Indian Navy tails hijacked vessel headed for Somalia". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 18 September 2024.
- ^ Peri, Dinakar (2024-04-21). "Indian Navy's 40-hour operation! Pirates shot down Navy's drone, Marine Commandos airdropped". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "Navy rescues 17 crew from hijacked ship, captures 35 pirates after 40-hour op". India Today. 17 March 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ "Ships, Drones, Commandos: How Indian Navy Rescued Hijacked Vessel". NDTV.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
- ^ "India's navy takes control of bulk carrier hijacked by Somali pirates and evacuates crew". Associated Press. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ "Captured Somali pirates arrive in India to face trial over ship hijacking". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Five-hour gun battle between gangsters and police sees ship freed". tradewindsnews.com. TradeWinds. 15 April 2024. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Haiti's Gangs Try Their Hand at Piracy, Hijacking a Ship Full of Food". maritime-executive.com. The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Haitian gangs rob cargo ship of food". Insurance Marine News. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "CLAUDE & MAGALIE SHIPPING, Miami FL, United States of America". world-ships.com. World Shipping Register. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ "Indian Navy rescues Iranian fishing vessel hijacked by pirates". Reuters. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ "9 pirates being brought to India to face legal action, says Navy a day after rescuing 23 Pakistani crew from Iranian fishing vessel". The Economic Times. Retrieved 4 May 2024.
- ^ Papachristou, Harry. "Stricken Evalend bulker needs assistance after Houthi strike in Red Sea". TradeWinds. Retrieved 2024-09-03.
- ^ "Bulker Tutor Sinks, Becoming Second Vessel Lost From Houthi Attacks". maritime-executive.com. The Maritime Executive. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
- ^ "Houthis back on the attack again". PortNews. 2024-10-02. Retrieved 2024-10-04.
