The International Maritime Bureau recorded 51 piracy and armed-robbery incidents against ships in January–September 2026, compared with 116 in the same period of 2025, according to The Maritime Executive’s account of the IMB report.

The article reports 90 crew members taken hostage during the period and highlights renewed Somali piracy. A lower reported incident count does not establish that all routes have become safer.

These are reported incidents over a nine-month period, rather than a complete count for the full calendar year. The brief does not combine piracy statistics with every conflict-related attack on shipping.

Details in the source report +
Reported details and their context.
DetailValueUnitContext
Reported incidents51incidentsJanuary–September2026
Prior-year comparable period116incidentsJanuary–September2025
Crew taken hostage90peopleReported nine-month total
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Source: The Maritime Executive · original report