East Africa – Human cost
- Oceans Beyond Piracy welcomes the efforts of the Hostage Support Partnership (HSP) in releasing the Naham 3 crewmembers, who were held for over 4 ½ years and released on 22 October 2016.
- Eight crewmembers taken from the Iranian dhow Siraj in 2015 have yet to be released.
- Piracy and armed robbery in the Western Indian Ocean region affected a total of 545 seafarers in 2016.
West Africa – Human cost
- 2016 saw a 57% rise in the number of seafarers affected by piracy in West Africa.
- Kidnap for ransom attacks increased by more than one-third from 2015 to 2016, while the average duration of captivity remained consistent with past years.
- The lack of prosecutions related to incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea continues to undermine efforts to combat piracy.
SE Asia – Human cost
- OBP calculated that 2,283 seafarers were affected by piracy and armed robbery in Asia in 2016, down from 3,674 in 2015.
- Kidnap for ransom represented the most violent model in 2016, with 67 seafarers taken hostage in the Sulu and Celebes Seas, of which two were killed while in captivity.
- Compared to 2015, the percentage of incidents involving crew member injuries decreased from 23 to 12 injuries. However, 2016 saw an increase in seafarer deaths; 6 seafarers were killed during or as a result of incidents.
Source: OBP
