It was announced from London and Kuala Lumpur in mid-January that more people were taken hostage at sea in 2010 than in any year on record. This was stated by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) in its global piracy report.

Pirates captured 1,181 seafarers and killed eight. A total of 53 ships were hijacked. The number of pirate attacks against ships has risen every year for the last four years.