Thursday, July 10th, 2008

Issued monthly, this report details acts reported during March 2008

12 June 2008: In pursuance of the Maritime Safety Committee's instruction to the Secretariat to issue monthly reports of all incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to the Organization and, in addition, to issue, on a quarterly basis, composite reports accompanied by an analysis, on a regional basis, of the situation and an indication whether the frequency of incidents is increasing or decreasing and advising of any new feature or pattern of significance, the annex hereto provides, in the tabulated format agreed by the Committee, the summary of reports on incidents received between 29 February 2008 and 31 March 2008, including a distinction between acts of piracy and acts of armed robbery against ships (annex 1) and attempted attacks (annex 2). Further and as instructed by the Committee (MSC 75/24, paragraph 18.41), the Secretariat has, since July 2002, started classifying separately any reported incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea (international or territorial waters) vis-à-vis acts of armed robbery allegedly committed in port areas, as well as attempted acts of armed robbery. The total number of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships so far reported to the Organization is 4,566, an increase of 14 since 29 February 2008.

According to the report, (UNCLOS) "Piracy" is defined in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) (article 101) as follows:

"Piracy consists of any of the following acts:

(a) any illegal acts of violence or detention, or any act of depredation, committed for private ends by the crew or the passengers of a private ship or a private aircraft, and directed:

(i) on the high seas, against another ship or aircraft, or against persons or property on board such ship or aircraft;

(ii) against a ship, aircraft, persons or property in a place outside the jurisdiction of any State;

(b) any act of voluntary participation in the operation of a ship or of an aircraft with knowledge of facts making it a pirate ship or aircraft;

(c) any act inciting or of intentionally facilitating an act described in sub-paragraph (a) or (b)."

"Armed robbery against ships" is defined in the Code of Practice for the Investigation of the Crimes of Piracy and Armed Robbery Against Ships (resolution A.922(22), Annex, paragraph 2.2), as follows:

"Armed robbery against ships means any unlawful act of violence or detention or any act of depredation, or threat thereof, other than an act of "piracy", directed against a ship or against persons or property on board such ship, within a State's jurisdiction over such offences."

Ref. T2-MSS/2.11.4.1 MSC.4/Circ.118. Read the full report by clicking: HERE



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