New Report on the Human Cost of Maritime Piracy

Today, a new report was released titled, "The Human Cost of Maritime Piracy, 2012." The report was developed through the the combined efforts of the Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP) project of One Earth Future Foundation, of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), and the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP).

"The report finds that incidents of violence against seafarers remain high, and whilst there has been an 80 percent drop of attacks off the coast of East Africa, the average period for hostages who remain captive there exceeds two years. Additionally, more seafarers were subjected to attacks and boarding by West African piracy than by Somalia based piracy. The report also includes a statistical analysis of the violence caused by acts of piracy, analysis of seafarer interviews discussing their perception of piracy, and sections discussing the different threats and economic impacts faced by seafarers off East and West Africa."

The major findings of the report include:

• As of 2012, West African piracy directly affects more seafarers than Somalia-based piracy
• All hostages still held in Somalia are considered High Risk (More than 50% have been held for 2+ years)
• Both East and West African piracy cause roughly equal levels of concern for seafarers
• Long-term effects of piracy on seafarers and their families can be significant
• Despite gains made, not all seafarers have benefited from seafarer welfare initiatives
• Lack of information has prevented a comprehensive picture of the human cost of piracy

read more