IMB piracy and armed robbery report for January – September 2026
We have received the report on piracy and armed robbery for the first nine months of 2026 (January to September 2026) from the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre (IMB PRC) together with the summary below.
For more details, please refer to the attached files.
Summary
A total of 51 incidents reported to the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre between Jan - Sep 2026. These are broken down as 36 vessels boarded, eight hijacked, four fired upon and three attempted incidents.
Violence against and the threat to crews continues with five crew killed, 90 taken hostage, six injured, three threatened and one assaulted.
Most of the successful incidents were reported while vessels were steaming.
|
Status when Attacked |
Attempted |
Boarded |
Fired Upon |
Hijacked |
Grand Total |
|
Anchored |
1 |
20 |
1 |
22 |
|
|
Berthed |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Steaming |
2 |
15 |
4 |
7 |
28 |
|
Grand Total |
3 |
36 |
4 |
8 |
51 |
Regions where incidents reported.
|
Region |
Attempted |
Boarded |
Fired Upon |
Hijacked |
Grand Total |
|
Africa |
3 | 2 | 4 | 7 |
16 |
|
Americas |
2 |
2 |
|||
|
East Asia |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
SE Asia |
29 |
29 |
|||
|
Indian Sub-cont. |
1 |
1 |
|||
|
Rest of the World |
1 |
1 |
2 |
||
|
Grand Total |
3 |
36 |
4 |
8 |
51 |
Somalia
Somali pirates are responsible for the eight hijackings and four vessels fired upon globally, along with 94% of crew taken hostage globally from four tankers, two general cargo vessels and two dhows. Most hijacked vessels have been released with the crew reported safe. On 29 September however, Puntland Authorities reported that five crew were killed and five injured prior to the release of the Palau flagged product tanker, Honour 25, hijacked on 21 April 2026.
Masters strongly encouraged to adhere to recommendations in latest BMP guidelines -
https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org/risksissues/piracy/
Gulf of Guinea
The IMB commends the littoral states of the Gulf of Guinea for their continued efforts in ensuring incidents of piracy and armed robbery remain at these low levels.
Singapore Straits
A welcome reduction in reported incidents in the Singapore Straits, with 13 in the first nine months of 2026 compared to 73 during the same period in 2025. But violence to crew remains with two crew taken hostage and a further two threatened and one injured.
Philippines
Nine anchored vessels were boarded in the Philippines, with six incidents reported in Manila and three in Batangas, compared to no reported incidents in 2025. Two crew members were taken hostage during the incidents, while weapons were reported in five cases.
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