In June 2014, the US White House released the “United States Counter Piracy and Maritime Action Plan.” The report included the following assessment. “Through the concerted efforts of the international Contact Group on Piracy of the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), piracy off the Horn of Africa has dropped to its lowest levels since 2006.
Yet, maritime piracy emanating from the under-governed shores of Somalia still threatens maritime trade in this strategically vital region of the world.” The report further voices concerns that the potential exist for the maritime industry to (a) relax the use of Best Management Practices (BMP), and (b) either stop using Privately Contracted Armed Security Personnel (PCASP) or start” using substandard (PCASP).
While activities near the Horn of Africa have decreased due to concerted efforts, piracy and robbery activities in the Straits of Malacca and the Indonesia area have increased significantly.
This map shows all the piracy and armed robbery incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre during 2014 – view the interactive map.