After four days of negotiation, two armed personnel of an Italian vessel, who allegedly shot dead two Indian fishermen off Kerala coast, on Feb 20, 2012, taken into custody by the state police.

Italian merchant vessel Enrica Lexie had violated the established anti-piracy norms when it fired at an Indian boat carrying 11 fishermen off the Kollam coast in Kerala killing two of them, the navy said.

Somali pirates who captured a the "Liquid Velvet" are fighting over ransom. The Ilaalo group, the security detail guarding the "Liquid Velvet", refused to take orders from their seniors. The conflict was a serious one related to ransom negotiations, but now it turned physical.

On Tuesday 17 January 2012, the military security team on board the fallpipe rockdumping vessel Flintstone succeeded in repelling a pirate attack in the Arabian Sea. The marines used direct fire to confront the immediate threat of a grenade launcher.

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), the world’s leading maritime services provider, and Vessel Protection Solutions (VPS) announced the launch of a new anti-piracy partnership that will provide the ultimate protection for vessels and their crews while operating in known piracy regions. 

15 Georgian and 3 Turkish nationals have been released by Somali pirates after ransoms were paid. There are now being taken to Kenya, News Georgia reports. They spent a year and 4 months as captives in Somalia. They are in a satisfactory heath condition, reports say.

An Inter-Ministerial Group of Officers (IMGO) has been set up to deal with hostage situation arising out of the hijacking of merchant vessels with Indian crew on board.