317 acts of maritime piracy and robbery were recorded worldwide in 2021 by the MICA Center. A decrease compared to 2020 particularly in the Gulf of Guinea off West Africa. In 2021 the Caribbean and Singapore Strait were the most affected areas.

For this new edition, the Maritime Information Cooperation & Awareness Center (MICA Center), in collaboration with its vast network of partners, provides an analysis of the threats affecting maritime security worldwide, documented with detailed statistics.

2021 saw a significant drop in the number of maritime piracy and robbery events, with a total of 317 incidents worldwide, compared to 375 in 2020, a drop of 15%.

Annual evolution of piracy and robbery incidents

This decrease is particularly significant in the Gulf of Guinea, where the number of incidents is exceptionally low, with 52 events recorded. This drop, which should however be confirmed in the next months, is analyzed as the combination of the strict application by crews of the Best Management Practices West Africa, and the growing awareness among international and regional actors, who are now taking concrete action against maritime insecurity in the area, and are trying to provide themselves an appropriate legal framework.

However, from the Americas to South-East Asia, including the Indian Ocean, all maritime areas are facing an increasing number of other insecurity factors. For the first time in its annual report, thanks to the help of its French and foreign partners, the MICA Center assesses all the threats affecting each of these areas: illegal fishing, smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal immigration, inter-state conflicts and terrorist attacks.

10 piracy & robbery most-affected maritime approaches in 2021

Dedicated to the analysis and assessment of the maritime security situation, and centralizing alerts in case of an attack at sea, the MICA Center collects and forwards relevant information to the partners who subscribe to its free services. This annual report summarizes the reports regularly sent to the maritime industry and analyses the trends observed as well as the evolution of modes of action.