PIRATE attacks that end in successful hijacking off Somalia have declined in the first nine months of the year to 24 vessels from 35 in the same period in 2010 because of naval patrols and counter measures taken by more experienced ship managers and crews.
"Navies deserve to be complimented on their excellent work: they are a vital force in deterring and disrupting pirate activity," said International Maritime Bureau (IMB) director Pottengal Mukundan, reported London's Containerisation International.
Despite the fall in East African ship seizures, which accounted for more than half of the 352 attacks, worldwide rates of pirate attacks and armed robbery were higher than any other year with 625 seafarers taken hostage, eight killed and 41 injured, said Mr Mukundan.
Since the monsoon season, Somali pirates have widened their range of attack as far as an Omani port on a chemical tanker at anchor and under protection by coast security.
The surge in attacks on the West African coast off Benin has resulted in 19 attacks, of which eight were tanker hijackings, this year from zero the year before.
Of the West African experience, the report said: "A pattern has emerged where armed pirates board and hijack the ship - sometimes injuring crew - then force the master to sail to an unknown location where they steal the ship's properties and cargo, and then let the vessel go."
Attacks in Asian waters, including the Indian subcontinent, continue to see reductions to 87 in the first nine months of the year compared to 106 in 2010.