2024 in piracy
In 2024, 116 piracy and armed robbery incidents against ships were recorded worldwide, with 94 vessels boarded and 6 hijacked. Early in the year, piracy surged in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali region, as attacks spread off the Horn of Africa. When Houthis began striking international shipping in the Red Sea, Somali pirates found new opportunities. The Red Sea attacks were tied to broader regional tensions, with the United States saying the Houthis’ actions were not related to the Gaza conflict, but they nonetheless disrupted dozens of nations’ vessels.
By March, some sea routes were identified as especially dangerous—besides the Red Sea/Gaza-related activity, the Singapore Strait, the Gulf of Guinea, and the Strait of Malacca were flagged as high-risk. The first quarter alone saw 33 piracy and armed-robbery incidents, with 35 seafarers held hostage and 9 kidnapped.
From November 2023 to June 2024, more than 50 ships were attacked by Houthi rebels, causing several deaths and a hijacking. The U.S. responded with air strikes against Houthi radar sites in the Arabian and Red Seas, destroying seven radar sites in June to help protect shipping. On June 12, Houthi drones attacked the unmanned Tutor boat, sinking it on June 18 and killing one crew member. Private maritime security teams later destroyed another drone boat when it approached a merchant ship.
By September, the ICC IMB reported that sea piracy and armed robbery were at their lowest levels since 1994, though crew safety remained a concern due to kidnappings and violence. Although naval patrols and better security helped, geopolitical tensions continued to drive some piracy incidents. The West African coast, the Malacca Strait, and the South China Sea remained the most active areas in 2024.
Notable incidents in 2024:
- January 29: Indian naval ship INS Sumitra rescued a hijacked fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden.
- March 12: Armed pirates hijacked the Bangladesh-flagged MV Abdullah; all 23 crew were held hostage. The vessel and crew were released on April 14 after a $5 million ransom was paid.
- March 16: The MV Ruen, hijacked in December 2023, was rescued by the Indian Navy near Socotra. 17 sailors were saved; 35 pirates were disarmed. The pirates were to stand trial in Mumbai.
- April 4: The Magalie, a Panama-flagged vessel, was attacked by Haitian gangs in Port-au-Prince; crew were taken hostage and cargo stolen. Haitian police later stormed the ship, but the crew’s fate remained unclear at that time.
- March 28: The Al-Kambar 786 was boarded by pirates off Socotra; the Indian Navy intervened for more than 12 hours, pirates surrendered, and the crew was unharmed. The pirates faced trial under India’s Maritime Anti-Piracy Act.
- June 12: The MV Tutor was hit by a Houthi drone boat and sank on June 18; one crew member was killed.
- October 1: The Cordelia Moon (Panama-flagged) was struck by missiles from a remotely piloted boat in the Red Sea, mistaken at first for a British ship.
- November 2024: The fishing-ship Liao Dong Yu 578 was hijacked amid protests over nearby illegal fishing; the crew was released in January 2025 after a ransom was paid.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 16:57 (CET).