Global piracy has soared by 50%, with the Singapore Strait being the hardest-hit area

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According to a report by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), the number of global piracy and armed robbery incidents in the first half of 2025 soared by as much as 50% compared to the same period in 2024, with a total of 90 related incidents. This is the highest record since 2020 and has reached a five-year high.

Among these 90 incidents, 79 ships were boarded, 6 were attempted attacks, 4 were hijacked, and 1 was shot at. From the perspective of the types of attacked vessels, bulk carriers were the main targets, encountering 34 incidents. Oil tankers came second, with 23 cases. There were 13 incidents involving container ships. The remaining 20 cases involved other types of vessels.

The safety of the crew members is also not optimistic. In these incidents, at least 40 crew members were taken hostage, 16 were kidnapped, 5 were threatened, and another 3 were attacked and injured respectively.

It is worth noting that the piracy problem in the Singapore Strait is particularly prominent. From January to June 2025, 57 pirate incidents occurred in this area, compared with only 15 in the same period of 2024. The number of pirate incidents in the Singapore Strait accounts for approximately 63% of the global total. Michael Hollett, the director of IMB, pointed out: "The Singapore Strait is a key shipping passage, with approximately 30% of global trade goods transported through it." What is even more worrying is that in this narrow and busy water area, the success rate of boarding and robbing large vessels with a deadweight tonnage of over 150,000 is as high as 95%, which means that any pirate attempt has a great chance of success. Furthermore, among the 57 reported incidents in the Singapore Strait, 35 involved pirates using firearms and knives, further exacerbating the risks.

Thirteen crew members were hijacked in the incident in this area, five were threatened, three were injured and one was attacked.

The Singapore Strait, which connects the Singapore Strait with the Strait of Malacca and the Philippine Strait, is one of the world's busiest waterways. Such frequent pirate activities undoubtedly pose a huge threat to global trade.
Meanwhile, 12 piracy incidents occurred in the Gulf of Guinea in the first half of 2025, accounting for 87% of all crew kidnapping incidents worldwide during the same period. This clearly shows that the risk of kidnapping faced by crew members in this region is extremely high.
Since April 2025, no new pirate incidents have occurred in the waters off Somalia. However, due to the weakening of the southwest monsoon in the coming months, this area remains a potential breeding ground for pirate activities, and the risks cannot be ignored.
In addition, since the end of 2023, the Houthi forces have been intermittently attacking commercial shipping, posing a continuous threat to the safety of shipping in the Red Sea and other sea areas.