Prosecute pirates in their countries ‘to succeed’ in war

A total of 32 vessels were hijacked by Somali pirates in the first nine months of 2009, with 533 crew members taken hostage.

A further 85 vessels were fired upon and as of 30 September 2009, four vessels, with over 80 crew held hostage, were still under negotiation.

Global piracy statistics reveal that in the first nine months of 2009, 114 vessels were boarded, 34 vessels hijacked and 88 vessels fired upon. A total of 661 crew members were taken hostage, 12 kidnapped, six killed and eight reported missing.

However, there was a marked decrease globally in the number of vessels hijacked in the first nine months of 2009, compared to the same period in 2008.

“Nigeria remains another area of high concern. While only 20 attacks were officially reported to IMB in 2009, information received from external sources indicates that at least 50 per cent of attacks on vessels, mostly related to the oil industry, have gone unreported,” the IMB said, noting that of the 20 incidents reported, eight were in the waters around Lagos.