KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Pirate attacks around the world fell by 34 percent in the first quarter of 2010 from a year ago due to the continued presence of foreign navies in the Gulf of Aden, a maritime watchdog said on Wednesday.
The London headquartered International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said its piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur logged a total of 67 incidents from January to March this year. There were 102 incidents in the first three months of last year.
The total number of attacks hit a six-year high of 406 last year.
The bureau noted a "dramatic decline" in attacks in the Gulf of Aden and its adjacent seas which link Europe to Asia. The area recorded 17 incidents in the first three months of this year compared to 41 in the same period in 2009.
"This marked reduction can be attributed to the continued presence of the navies in the Gulf of Aden along with the robust anti-piracy measures adopted by the merchant navy fleet," the bureau's quarterly report said.
Foreign navies have been deployed off the Gulf of Aden since the start of 2009 and have operated convoys, as well as setting up and monitoring a transit corridor for ships to pass through vulnerable points.
Despite the measures Somali gangs who account for more than half the incidents continued to extend their reach, making millions of dollars in ransom by hijacking ships as far away as 775 nautical miles from the Somali Coast in the Indian Ocean.
IMB director Potenggal Mukundan said while Somali pirates have increased their capabilities, "robust action by the navies against the mother ships, pirate skiffs and pirate action groups has been vital to keeping attacks under control."
The report said only two incidents were reported in the first quarter of 2010 in Nigeria, although violence towards crew remained high in the area.
There were also no incidents recorded in the Malacca Straits, a key shipping lane for world trade, although Indonesia recorded its highest number of first quarter incidents in two years, with six boardings from January to March this year.
(Reporting by Razak Ahmad; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)
