Number of pirate attacks worldwide by ship type 2021

In 2021, the type of ship most attacked by pirates was a bulk carrier. That year, there were 47 attacks on bulk carriers recorded. Product tankers were targeted by pirates 20 times and container ships 30 times.

Piracy around the world

In 2021, Southeast Asia was the region that recorded the largest number of piracy attacks. In the same year, Singapore straits were the main hotspot of piracy worldwide, followed by Peru. The most commonly used weapons are knives and guns.

Africa is the new piracy hotspot

Under current circumstances, piracy activity in Africa threatens not only international shipping companies but also the economic prospects of the continent. By damaging the credibility and stability of the affected countries, piracy imposes a great economic burden on the African economy. Trust is a necessary condition for international and local economic activities to prosper because investment decisions are made for an uncertain future. While the situation on the Gulf of Guinea keeps getting worse, the number of piracy and robbery incidents on the East African coasts dropped massively between 2017 and 2018. Pirate attacks do not only occur along the territorial waters of African countries, but also in international waters. For instance, in West African territories, roughly 51 percent of attacks were carried out in international waters in 2020.