Speaking to CNA, Sergios Sergiou, Director of the Department of Merchant Shipping, said that in 2011 there was one successful piracy case against a Cypriot vessel, which was seized last January. Somali pirates seized “MV Eagle” on January 17, while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, south of Oman, en route to India. No Cypriot or Greek nationals were among the crew. Sergiou also said that there have been piracy cases against Cypriot merchant vessels in the past as well, while there have been also many failed attempts by pirates to seize ships. To the best of their knowledge, there are no Cypriot nationals being held hostage by pirates, Sergiou noted.

According to the latest data by the International Maritime Bureau, since the beginning of the year to August 10, 2011, there have been 304 armed robbery incidents in total against international vessels. Successful piracy cases for the same period are estimated at 31. Off the coast of Somalia, where the problem is particularly intense, armed robbery cases stood at 176, while pirates managed to hijack 22 vessels. During the course of the year, Somali pirates held 326 hostages, asking for ransom, while seven people died during the incidents.