Maritime Accident News

2010 a record year for piracy

1,181 hostages were taken by pirates in 2010, said the annual report released by the International Maritime Bureau’s reporting center in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

That is the highest number for a single year since records started being kept in 1991.

49 of the 53 vessels hijacked worldwide were taken by Somali pirates.

Pirates are rarely using skiffs or motor boats in the attacks anymore, relying on large hijacked vessels known as “mother ships” which allow them to strike from Mozambique to Oman, the report said.

Attacks in the Gulf of Aden actually fell by over 50 percent due to a coalition of warships and best management practices.

Eight crew members were killed and thirteen wounded by Somali pirates last year, an increase from six murders and 10 injured in 2009.

Source: Associated Press

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