The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has reported that there has been an upswing in piracy over the first quarter of 2008 compared to the figures from last year at this time. In its latest quarterly piracy report, IMB said that there were 49 attacks reported to the Piracy Reporting Center in the first three months of 2008 as compared to 41 for the corresponding period in 2007. During the quarter a total of 36 vessels were boarded and one vessel was hijacked, seven crewmembers were taken hostage, six kidnapped, three killed and one missing - presumed dead. In the majority of incidents, the attackers were heavily armed with guns or knives. The use and threat of violence against crewmembers remains unacceptably high, IMB noted.

Nigeria ranks as the number one hotspot this quarter accounting for just over 20% of the figures with ten incidents reported. Vessels have been fired upon and crews injured as a result. Many of the attacks are concentrated off Lagos. India and the Gulf of Aden shared second place with five reported incidents each. The incidents in India were low level attacks aimed at theft from the vessel. The attacks in the Gulf of Aden are all aimed at hijacking the vessel and taking it to small ports on the Eastern coast of Somalia. A decline of incidents in Indonesian waters has dropped that country down on this list of shame for the first time in over a decade. There has been a sustained decrease in the number of reported attacks in the archipelago leading up to only four incidents reported this quarter. Indonesia ranks fourth in this quarter's figures - IMB credited the Indonesian Navy and the police for their anti-piracy measures that contributed to the drop.

Waters around Somalia continue to be notorious for hijacking of vessels and the abduction of crew for ransom. The locations of these attacks have moved from the Eastern Coast of Somalia to the north and northeastern coast and the Gulf of Aden. The heavier concentration of traffic in the Gulf of Aden means the pirates do not have to range as far away from the coast, although they now operate in an area with a large number of Coalition Naval vessels at hand. Incredibly, there were no reported incidents for the Malacca Straits this quarter. This can again be attributed to the enhanced cooperation between the littoral states.

In other piracy news, the French Navy swooped down in the Gulf of Aden this week in pursuit of a dozen pirates that held a French yacht and her crew of 30 hostage while demanding a princely ransom. After a week of negotiating with the yacht's owners, the ransom was paid and the pirates sailed the vessel to Somalia to attempt escape on land. French helicopters pursued and managed to capture six pirates and a chunk of the ransom money. France is seeking to bring the six men to justice on French soil. France used the opportunity to call for an international coalition to combat piracy around the Horn of Africa and other hotspots.