Special Report

RITA Bureau of Transportation Statistics

April 2010

International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea

Hindering Maritime Trade and Water Transportation Around the World

by Matthew Chambers

SR-022

Over the 11-year period, 1998-2008, more than 3,600 

acts of international piracy and armed robbery at sea 

have occurred. Figure 1 clearly shows that piracy affects 

all corners of the globe—from the Caribbean, to the Mediterranean, to the South China Sea. In 2008, East Africa 

accounted for the greatest number of incidents with 134, 

followed by the South China Sea (72 incidents) and West 

Africa (50 incidents). Table 1 shows the overall number of 

attacks has been on the decline in many parts of the world 

with acts of piracy occurring at a rate of about 25 per month 

in 2008, down from a peak of nearly 40 incidents per month 

in 2000. This decline was global in nature with one notable 

exception—the waters surrounding East Africa (e.g., Gulf of 

Aden, Red Sea) saw a 123 percent (74-incident) increase 

from the prior year (see box 1). 

The Costs of and Factors Affecting Pirate 

Attacks

Pirates commit crimes against persons and property when 

they unlawfully board ships that are either underway on 

the high seas or at anchor. These crimes can be costly in 

terms of any resultant injuries, loss of life, theft of cargo, 

Table 1: Incidents of International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea, 1998-2008 

Year 

East 

Africa 

Indian 

Ocean 

Malacca 

Strait 

Mediterranean 

Sea 

South 

America1

South 

China 

West 

Africa Total

1998 19 25 6 2 38 94 22 210

1999 16 51 37 4 29 136 36 309

2000 29 109 112 2 41 140 33 471

2001 22 86 58 2 23 120 58 370

2002 23 66 34 3 67 140 47 383

2003 22 96 36 1 72 154 67 452

2004 13 41 60 0 46 113 57 330

2005 47 51 20 0 26 97 23 266

2006 31 53 22 1 31 66 31 240

2007 60 40 12 3 25 67 60 282

2008 134 26 2 2 19 72 50 306

Compound annual 

growth rate, 1998-2008

19.40% 0.40% -9.50% 0.00% -6.10% -2.40% 7.70% 3.50%

NOTES: Incidents include attempts and threatening actions. Details may not add to totals because of missing categories. 

1

 South America includes incidents in the Caribbean Sea.

SOURCE: International Maritime Organization, Reports on Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships, Annual Report (annual issues), MSC.4/Circ.133, available at http://www.imo.org/home.asp as of December 2009.
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Box 1: Shifting Piracy Hotspots

Incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been rising in East African waters (e.g., Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea) in 

recent years as the numbers of incidents in other parts of the globe have generally stabilized.

In 2008, acts of piracy that occurred in East African waters were more than double the number from the prior year and 

comprised 44 percent of incidents worldwide. In the 11-year period from 1998 to 2008, yearly totals in these waters 

rose from 19 to 134—an increase of 605 percent. In contrast, in 2000, when global incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea peaked at 471, only 6 percent occurred in East African waters while acts of piracy in the South China Sea, 

Malacca Strait, and Indian Ocean accounted for 77 percent of incidents across the globe (table 1).

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, 2010 based 

upon the International Maritime Organization, Reports on Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships Annual Report (Annual Issues), MSC.4/

Circ.133, available at http://www.imo.org/home.asp as of December 2009. 

Figure 1: Incidents of International Piracy and Armed Robbery at Sea, 1998-2008

Indian Ocean

South America

West Africa

East Africa

South China Sea

Malacca Strait

Mediterranean Sea

(See note below)

NOTE: Mediterranean Sea: Number of Incidents

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 

 2 4 2 2 3 1 0 0 1 3 2

NOTE: Incidents include attempts and threatening actions. Details may not add to totals because of missing categories.

SOURCE: International Maritime Organization, Reports on Acts of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships:

Annual Report, available at http://www.imo.org/home.asp as of October 2009.

Number of Incidents

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
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environmental damage, and increased vessel-operating 

costs. For example, a ransom of $3 million1 was paid to 

Somali pirates to recover the tanker Sirius Star, which was 

carrying 2 million barrels of crude, worth an estimated $100 

million.2

Even though pirate attacks and attempts are rarely directed 

at U.S.-flagged vessels, they still affect the U.S. economy 

because most U.S.-related maritime trade takes place 

aboard foreign vessels. The U.S.-flagged fleet accounts for 

less than 1 percent of the world fleet.3 Figure 2 shows the 

1

 British Broadcast Corporation. Saudi tanker “freed off Somalia” (Jan. 9, 

2009), available at http://news.bbc.co.uk/ as of Jan. 13, 2010.

2

 Matlin, Chadwick. Hitting the High Seas: Check Your Pirate Insurance

(Nov. 23, 2008), Washington Post, available at http://www.washingtonpost.

com as of Jan.13, 2010.

3

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative 

Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National 

nationality of the crews and flags of vessels seized from 

around world. 

Pirates prey upon targets of opportunity. Given optimal 

conditions (e.g., calm weather, slow cruising speed, and 

daylight4

) relatively small, fast vessels (e.g., containerships) 

may be no less at risk than large, slower vessels (e.g., 

crude carriers). The vessels held by pirates can range from 

2,000 to 100,000 deadweight tons.5

Transportation Statistics, Table 1-23, available at http://www.bts.gov/ as of 

Jan.13, 2010.

4

 United States Navy, Office of Naval Intelligence, Horn of Africa: Threat 

Factors for Commercial Shipping and Forecast of Pirate Activity Through 

2009, available at http://www.marad.dot.gov/ as of Jan. 7, 2010.

5

 U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration, List of Ships 

Sea jacked (01/04/10), Horn of Africa Piracy, available at http://www.

marad.dot.gov/ as of Jan. 6, 2009.

Figure 2: Nationality of the Crew and Flag of 13 Vessels Being Held by Somali Pirates from Incidents 

Spanning April 6, 2009 to January 2, 2010 (as of January 4, 2010)

Russia

India

Pakistan

Yemen

Thailand

United

Kingdom

Greece

North Korea

Panama

Taiwan

NOTE: Crew nationality may not have been reported or multiple 

nationalities may have been reported and not displayed. Marshall Islands,

Kiribati, and Singapore are not shown, but all have vessels being held.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration,

List of Ships Seajacked (01/04/10), Horn of Africa Piracy, available at

http://www.marad.dot.gov/ as of January 6, 2009.

Nationality of the Crew 

and Flag of the Vessels 

Held by Somali Pirates

Vessel

Citizens

Both
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International Community Response

Acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea have incensed 

the international community and brought about a sense of 

cooperation among nations, international law enforcement, 

and treaty organizations. In turn, this has led to information 

sharing and joint naval patrols. 

The International Maritime Bureau established the Piracy 

Reporting Centre (PRC) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The 

PRC serves as a mechanism for coordinating response by 

local authorities and providing incident reports to mariners.6 

In addition, 15 nations in South East Asia have signed the 

Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and 

Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia.7 

In 2000, the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Strait of 

Malacca totaled the highest number of attacks. However, 

the nations in South East Asia surrounding these two bodies of water with the support of the international community have made great strides in decreasing the number of 

incidents. By 2008, the combined number of incidents had 

decreased in the Strait of Malacca and the Indian Ocean by 

87 percent from their peak in 2000.

6

 International Chamber of Commerce, Commercial Crime Services, 

International Maritime Bureau , Piracy Reporting Centre, IMB Piracy 

Reporting Centre, available at http://www.icc-ccs.org/ as of Jan. 5, 2010. 

7

 Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed 

Robbery Against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP); available at http://www.recaap.

org/ as of Jan. 14, 2010.

Pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 

1851, the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia 

(CGPCS) was established on January 14, 2009 to facilitate 

discussion and coordination of actions among states and 

organizations to suppress piracy off the coast of Somalia. 

The CGPCS includes representatives from over 50 countries and international organizations and it acts as a point of 

contact on aspects of combating piracy and armed robbery 

at sea off Somalia’s coast. The CGPCS reports to the United Nations Security Council on a regular basis concerning 

the progress of its activities. A CGPCS working group has 

produced a best management practices document for owners, operators, managers, and masters of vessels transiting 

the Gulf of Aden and along the coast of Somalia.8 

Twenty nations now participate in the Combined Maritime 

Force, which established Combined Task Force 151 to conduct antipiracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, 

Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Red Sea.9 The goal of 

this coordinated reporting and response is to turn the tide 

on the growing number of East Africa incidents.

8

 Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS), Best 

Management Practices to Deter Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the 

Coast of Somalia (Version 2: August 2009), available at http://www.marad.

dot.gov/ as of Feb. 3, 2010.

9

 United States Navy, New Counter-Piracy Task Force Established

(01/08/09), available at http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_

id=41687 as of Dec. 28, 2009.

About This Report For related BTS data and publications: www.bts.gov

Matthew Chambers, a Senior Transportation Specialist, in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics 

(BTS) prepared this report. Dominic Menegus, a 

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Analyst, provided special assistance creating the maps. BTS is 

a component of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA). Special thanks to Robert Brown of 

the Maritime Administration and Chip Moore, RITA, 

for their assistance

For questions about this or other BTS reports, call 

1-800-853-1351, email answers@bts.gov or visit 

www.bts.gov.

Data –

• For the latest Maritime-related BTS data products, 

please visit the BTS Maritime Program website at 

http://www.bts.gov/programs/maritime_program/.

Publications –

• U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics; Ocean Passenger Vessels: migrating south for the winter, available at 

http://www.bts.gov/.

• U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and 

Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of 

Transportation Statistics; U.S. Ocean Passenger 

Terminals: serving larger vessels closer to home 

and central transit connections, available at

http://www.bts.gov/.