Number of actual and attempted piracy attacks in Somalia 2010-2019

The number of attacks off the Somali coast fell dramatically to just eight in the five-year period between 2015 and 2019. Piracy attacks in Somali waters peaked in 2011, when 160 attacks were recorded, and incidents had soared to 358 during the the five-year period between 2010 and 2014. This drop is widely regarded as a result of concerted efforts to reduce crimes at sea.

Counter-piracy measures prove to be fruitful

In light of growing numbers of oil tankers transiting the Gulf of Aden, crime began to spread from the streets of Mogadishu onto the waterways between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. In recent times, freight forwarders have begun to reap the results of the extensive military and naval support that was provided by the international community in response to spiking incidents of maritime crime. However, piracy-related violence has not fully been eradicated, but has rather shifted from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf of Guinea and Southeast Asian waters. In 2019, the most perilous territorial waters for ships included the waterways of Nigeria, Indonesia, and Malaysia/Singapore.