International Maritime Bureau praises navies for reducing piracy threat in Gulf of Aden
Thanks to continued international efforts such as NATO’s counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield, pirate attacks around the world dropped by 34 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 compared with a year ago, according to a report published on 21 April by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
The Bureau noted a significant decline in attacks in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia, where NATO and other ships patrol. In this area alone, 17 incidents were recorded in the first three months of 2010 compared with 41 in the same period last year.
Despite the decrease in attacks, Somali pirates are expanding their reach from the Gulf of Aden to the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, the Seychelles, Madagascar and Oman. Somali pirates carried out 35 of the 67 hijackings recorded so far in 2010.
NATO sent five ships to the Gulf of Aden in March 2009 as part of its counter piracy mission, Operation Allied Protector. In August 2009, the Alliance approved a new mission, Operation Ocean Shield, which additionally offers states in the area assistance in developing their own capacity to combat piracy activities if they request it.