A Threat to Maritime Trade: Analysis of Piracy Attacks Between 2015 and 2022 and the Period of COVID-19

Abstract

More than 80 percent of world trade is transported by sea. Maritime piracy negatively affects international maritime transport and trade. The aim of the study is to analyze maritime piracy attacks between 2015-2022 and during the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) period. In the study, a literature review, main reasons and statistics for piracy and armed robbery attacks, international efforts to combat maritime piracy were examined and maritime piracy attacks were analyzed in 2015-2022 and the COVID-19 period. The results of the main findings are as follows; the most piracy attacks occurred in 2015, the most attacks were occurred in March-April-May majority of attacks occurred between the hours 24:00-04:00, the most attacks occurred in South East Asia, the most types of attacks against to ships was boarded. Marshall Islands-flagged ships were the most attacked. There is a weak statistical relationship between the piracy attacks by months and regions and between the piracy attacks by years and type of attacks. There is no statistical relationship between other variables.