The International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is calling for sustained vigilance to protect seafarers amid increasing violence despite an overall drop in the number of incidents reported in IMB’s mid-year report for 2024, released July 11.
Sixty incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were recorded in the first half of 2024, a decrease from 65 incidents for the same period last year.
“While we are reassured to see a fall in the number of overall reported acts of piracy, the concerning rise in incidents of a violent nature underscores the need for continued vigilance from the international community to ensure the safety of all seafarers — especially at this time of heightened uncertainty for maritime transport,” ICC Secretary General John W.H. Denton AO said.
Of the 60 incidents reported, 46 vessels were boarded, eight reported attempted attacks, four were hijacked and two were fired upon. Perpetrators successfully boarded 85% of targeted vessels.
Violence toward crew members continues, with 85 taken hostage compared to 36 in the same period last year, 11 kidnapped and two threatened. Guns and knives were reported in 34 of the 59 incidents, a increase from the same period last year.
“While the decline in reported incidents is welcome, sustained and continued regional maritime cooperation remains essential to safeguard seafarers, global shipping and trade. There is no room for complacency,” IMB Director Michael Howlett said.
Despite the decline in global reported incidents Somali piracy still poses a threat, data show, with eight reported incidents in the first half of 2024, including three hijackings.
Recent incidents demonstrate the continued capability and capacity of the Somali pirates to target vessels up to 1,000 nautical miles off the Somali coast.
“We continue to urge caution around Somali piracy incidents and call on all vessel owners and Masters to harden their vessels and follow all recommended guidelines in the latest Best Management Practices while transiting Somali waters,” Howlett said.
Incidents have dropped from 14 to 10 in the Gulf of Guinea but threats to crew safety and well-being continue to be a cause of concern.
The region accounts for the 11-crew kidnapped globally in the first half of 2024 in two separate incidents and 21 of the crew taken hostage in one incident.
There’s a noticeable decrease of reported incidents in the Singapore Straits from 13 in the first half of 2024 compared to 20 the same period last year. However, the targeting and boarding of large vessels transiting through these waters remains worrying.
While considered low level opportunistic crimes, 10 crew were taken hostage in six separate incidents with guns and knives reported in 11 incidents.
Despite the decline of reported incidents, IMB has said that it’s aware of incidents not being reported.
IMB has recorded 12 incidents in the Indonesian archipelago, the highest since the first half of 2021 when 15 incidents were reported.
Two crew were reported as taken hostage and one threatened during these incidents. Knives were reported in six incidents and guns in one incident. During the first half of this year, six incidents occurred at Dumai anchorage compared to one in the first six months of 2023.
Data also show that low-level incidents have increased in Bangladesh, up from one in the first six months of 2023 to ten in 2024. This is the highest reported number of incidents in the first half of a year since 2015.
All vessels were at anchorage, with eight incidents reported at Chattogram, Bangladesh’s second-largest city.
Maersk Introduces Ocean Service Between China, Bangladesh
Danish shipping company Maersk has launched a new ocean shipping service between China and Bangladesh to meet growing trade demand, particularly in the retail industry.
The new service, called SH3, commenced service July 7, and adds more capacity to the ocean network between the two countries, Maersk said in an announcement.
“In this time-sensitive industry, retailers demand timely delivery across the entire supply chain to meet their customers’ fast-changing expectations,” Maersk Regional Head of Intra-Asia Market Wen Bing Lim said. “The new network accelerates the supply chain and benefits Chinese textile raw materials exporters and garment manufacturers in Bangladesh.”
The SH3 rotation starts from Shanghai Port in China, with calls at Xiamen, Kaohsiung, Nansha and Tanjung Pelepas on the way to Chittagong, Bangladesh. On the return journey to Shanghai, SH3 calls at Tanjung Palapas, where long-haul routes to Europe are connected.
The SH3 service complements the previously existing SH1, SH2 and IA7 services between China and Bangladesh. Maersk, without elaborating, said that adjustments have been made to both the SH1 and SH2 to optimize the offering further.
“The combination of these services expands coverage in China, providing multiple options for loading cargo throughout the week from Shanghai, Nansha and Ningbo and more direct shipping choices to Bangladesh,” the shipper said in a July 15 statement. “The varied options in transit time and frequency for customers will allow them to have not only additional capacity but also flexibility and efficiency in their supply chains,” the statement continued.
Textile exports account for a significant portion of China’s exports to Bangladesh. The Bangladesh RMG industry comprises over four thousand factories serving over 100 international clothing brands.
Bangladesh exports to more than 150 countries a wide variety of knitwear and woven garments, such as shirts, trousers, T-shirts, denim, jackets and sweaters.
FMC Designates Anji Shipping a Chinese-Controlled Carrier
The Federal Maritime Commission on July 17 classified Anji Shipping Co. Ltd. as a controlled carrier of the People’s Republic of China and has added it to the Commission’s Controlled Carrier List.
Controlled carriers are ocean common carriers operating in the U.S.-foreign trades that are, or whose operating assets are, directly or indirectly owned or controlled by a foreign government.
Controlled carriers, which are in essence state-owned shippers, are subject to enhanced regulatory oversight by the Commission.
The FMC’s Controlled Carrier List is a list of all foreign-owned, foreign-controlled, or government linked companies and assets. The list currently consists of six companies, with the other shippers on the list being COSCO SHIPPING Lines, Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL), OOCL Europe and Hede International Shipping, all of which are China-owned; and HMM Company, formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine, which is a South Korea-owned container transport and shipping company.