Global piracy falls to 34-year low as Gulf of Guinea attacks drop

The International Maritime Bureau's mid-year count, published July 9, logged 38 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships globally in the first half of 2026. That is the lowest figure since 1992. A year earlier, the same period recorded 90.

West African waters drove much of the improvement. The Gulf of Guinea, one of the most tracked piracy zones in the world, saw just two incidents in the first six months of the year. The IMB credited stronger coordination among coastal states and international partners for the drop.

Crew are not yet safe. Sixty-seven seafarers were taken hostage in the period, two were threatened, and one was injured. Ninety-four percent of the hostage cases trace to Somali pirates. The IMB issued a warning to ships transiting waters off the Horn of Africa, pointing to signs of resurgence after years of suppression.

The breakdown by incident type: five ships hijacked, 27 boarded, three fired upon, and three attacks attempted but stopped before boarding.

The Singapore Straits also recorded fewer incidents, the IMB said, while the Gulf of Guinea and Somalia together shaped the headline numbers in opposite directions.