Shift in piracy trends: Aon

There is an increase in overall piracy activity, but a general decline in successful attacks on vessels over the last year, according to Aon Risk Solutions.

Aon’s Piracy Update uses data collected from 2009 to 2011 by the company’s kidnap and ransom practice to determine the changing trends in regional and seasonal Somali piracy activity and the emerging threat of piracy off the west coast of Africa.

A shift in regional activity has been attributed to an increase in anti-piracy measures.

For example, attacks in the Gulf of Aden, historically a piracy hotspot, have shifted to the Arabian Sea, which has experienced a 267% increase of attacks year on year, according to the Update.