Piracy is on the rise again, 116 attacks in the first nine months of the year
The area most affected is the Singapore Strait, with 73 boardings: the highest number recorded since 1991
Key points
The global geopolitical situation is favouring a return of piracy. This is what the data of the International maritime bureau (Imb), an agency of the International chamber of commerce, suggests: in the first nine months of 2025, 116 incidents were reported, with the highest number recorded, since 1991, in the Straits of Singapore (73). In 2024, 116 was the total number of attacks during the entire year and in the first nine months the number was 79.
The Imb's Piracy reporting centre document reveals that 102 boats were boarded, nine were attempted to be boarded, four were hijacked and one was fired upon with weapons. In 91% of the incidents, the perpetrators managed to gain access to the boat and most of the boardings occurred at night.
Of greatest concern is the threat of violence against the crew as firearms were found in 55 per cent of the incidents reported in the first nine months of 2025, and guns were visibly carried by pirates in 33 per cent of the cases - the highest percentage since 2017. In the period under review, 43 crew members were taken hostage, 16 kidnapped, seven threatened, three assaulted and three injured.
The most affected geographical areas
As for the geographic areas with the highest number of incidents, 15 were reported in the Gulf of Guinea region, compared to 12 in the same period in 2024. Of these, 10 occurred in territorial waters. Fourteen crew members were abducted in these waters from January to September 2025. And despite the absence of crew member abductions in the third quarter, perpetrators continue to demonstrate the ability to target vessels on the open sea.
In the Singapore Strait, on the other hand, as mentioned, 73 incidents were recorded, the highest number recorded since 1991. although there has been a marked reduction in attacks since the arrest of two criminal gangs in July 2025 by the Indonesian marine police. As for Somalia and the Gulf of Aden (two historical sites of modern piracy), the report explains that no incidents were reported in the third quarter, 'probably due to the prevailing southwest monsoon conditions'. Imb, however, advises vessels to be cautious and 'to continue to adhere to the guidelines', because, in the first six months of 2025, 26 crew members were taken hostage by two fishing boats and a dhow (Arab sailing boat).
