Acts of piracy and robbery have declined
significantly
in the world in 2021, while their number has been stable since 2016, revealed Friday in its annual report the French pole of expertise dedicated to maritime security MICA Center.
In total, 317 acts were counted in 2021, against 375 the previous year, a "
notable
" drop of 15%, according to the Maritime Information Cooperation & Awareness Center, located in Brest.
This decrease is particularly marked in the Gulf of Guinea where 52 events were recorded in 2021, against 115 in 2020, notes the center.
Read also Piracy: six sailors including a Pole kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea
"
This drastic drop is analyzed as the result of an awareness of international and regional actors, who are now jointly leading concrete actions against maritime insecurity in the area and are endowing themselves with an appropriate legal framework
", he says. -he.
"
Resurgence of these other factors of insecurity at sea
"
"
This development should not, however, mask the existence of other phenomena affecting the security of maritime areas
", underlines the report, which for the first time takes into account all the threats to maritime security in the world including illegal fishing, acts of contraband, trafficking in human beings and drugs, illegal immigration, inter-state conflicts or even terrorist attacks.
The integration of these data "
highlights a resurgence of these other factors of insecurity at sea, in all regions of the globe
," notes the center, which notably cites "
the phenomenon of narco-piracy in Latin America where cartels adopt pirate behavior to introduce drugs on ships
”.
Created in 2016, the MICA Center monitors global maritime traffic 24 hours a day.
It analyzes and assesses the maritime security situation in the world, but also centralizes alerts in the event of an attack at sea. It is made up of around thirty military and civilian personnel from the French Navy and navies from partner countries.
