A combination of factors including stepped up naval patrols closer to shore is leading to a drop in pirate attacks off the Somali coast, the former commander of NATO's counter-piracy mission said Monday (17 December).
EU Naval Force can confirm that the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel MV Albedo, held by armed pirates at an anchorage close to the Somali Coast, has sunk in rough seas.
One hundred and two incidents of piracy and armed robbery have been reported for the first quarter of 2012, with dangerously increasing numbers in West African waters, according to figures released today in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau's (IMB) global piracy report.