TRIESTE – Maritime piracy attacks up by 35% in Q1 2025 worldwide: 45 incidents were reported, compared to 37 in the first quarter of 2024.
A total of 53 crew members were involved, up from 45 over the same period last year. Bulk carriers were the most targeted vessels, with 17 reported attacks compared to 10 in the first three months of 2024. There were 13 assaults on tankers (up by three), six against container ships (double the number reported a year ago), and nine against other types of vessels (one fewer than in Q1 2024). Among the hardest-hit areas is the Singapore Strait, increasingly a hotspot for piracy, where nearly all targeted ships were successfully boarded. These figures come from the Q1 2025 report by the ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which highlights how, at a time when global trade and supply chains are facing unprecedented challenges, the rising threat of maritime piracy is once again in the spotlight. While many of the attacks are categorized as low-level crimes, the risk to crew members remains high: weapons were reported in over half of the incidents (14), and in some cases, hostages were taken. In total, 37 vessels were boarded, four were hijacked, and four more were subjected to attempted attacks. The threat to crew safety remains significant, with 37 seafarers taken hostage, 13 kidnapped, two threatened, and one injured. The report highlights a spike in incidents particularly in the Singapore Strait, with 27 cases reported by transiting ships in the first quarter of this year compared to just seven in the same period of 2024. The IMB also warns vessels operating in the Gulf of Guinea and nearby coastal states to remain vigilant.
While reported incidents in the region remain at their lowest level in nearly two decades, the threat to crew persists. All 13 kidnappings in the first quarter occurred in these waters, in just two separate attacks, accounting for a total of six incidents. The threat of piracy remains active off Somalia as well: between 7 February and 16 March 2025, two fishing vessels and one dhow were hijacked off the Somali coast. In these incidents, 26 crew members were taken hostage, although all were later released along with the vessels.