Maritime Knowledge Centre (MKC): Maritime Facts and Figures: PIRACY

DEFINING PIRACY

Article 101 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, (UNCLOS) of 10 December 1982 provides the following Definition of Piracy:

(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;

(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;

(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;

MONITORING PIRACY

Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS)
Created in 2009, CGPCS is a governance mechanism to better coordinate the response to piracy off the coast of Somalia. States, international organizations, NGO’s and the industry use this format to develop shared and coordinated responses to piracy.
EU NAVFOR Somalia
The EU Naval Force was launched in December 2008 and is conducted in accordance with UN Security Council's resolutions. The Key Facts & Figures section provides summary statistics.
IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC)
International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is a specialised division of the International Chamber Of Commerce (ICC). PRC is an independent, non-governmental agency based in Kuala Lumpur. Piracy & Armed Robbery Reports, facts, figures and news are available via the web site.
IMO Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS)
Information regarding acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships is publicly available in IMO's Piracy and Armed Robbery module within GISIS. Registration is required.
IMO Piracy Incident Reports
In order to provide an overall view of the global threat posed by piracy and armed robbery against ships, since 1982 the Organization issues incident reports on such acts and attempted acts.
Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA)
MSCHOA aims to provide a service to mariners in the Gulf of Aden, the Somali Basin and off the Horn of Africa.
Pirates of the Gulf of Guinea: A Cost Analysis for Coastal States
This November 2021 Stable Seas report estimates the costs of piracy to twelve Gulf of Guinea nations, looking specifically at the area of increased risk that stretches from Côte d’Ivoire in the northwest to Angola in the southeast.
ReCAAP ISC (Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia. Information Sharing Centre)
ReCAAP is the first regional government-to-government agreement to promote and enhance cooperation against piracy and armed robbery in Asia. The ReCAAP Information Sharing Centre (ISC) publishes statistics, incident and special reports, and guidance.
Security Council Report (SCR) - UN Security Council Reports on Piracy
SCR is a non-UN source which provides links to official UN Security Council resolutions, documents, meeting records and video files relating to piracy.
State of Maritime Piracy: 2020 - Assessing the Human Cost
The publication marks the eleventh year that One Earth Future Foundation has assessed the human cost of maritime piracy, evolving from a project of Oceans Beyond Piracy to a flagship report of the Stable Seas program.
State of Maritime Piracy 2019: Assessing the Human Cost
In its tenth year of publication, the focus has expanded from piracy off the coast of Somalia to piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, Southeast Asia, and finally Latin America and the Caribbean.
State of Maritime Piracy 2018: Assessing the Human Cost
The ninth annual edition of the State of Maritime Piracy report finds that the Gulf of Guinea was the area most affected by piracy and armed robbery once again in 2018.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Maritime and Supply-Chain Security Reports
UNCTAD monitors and reports on important developments relating to maritime and supply-chain security, such as piracy.
United Nations News - Piracy
News feed from the United Nations and its specialized agences or programmes, which features piracy as a topic.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Global Maritime Crime Programme
The Programme's activities include counter-piracy and maritime capacity-building as well as programmes to address the emerging threat of piracy and other maritime crimes. Annual Reports are available.
United States Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)
Piracy reports are compiled and published regularly by the ONI. They contain summaries of recent piracy acts and hostile actions against commercial shipping.