IMO Says 44 Seafarers Held By Pirates In Three Months ,Seeks Immediate Action After 24 Recent Attacks;

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez has called for urgent international action to secure the release of 44 seafarers being held captive by pirates in Somali waters.

In a statement on Monday, IMO disclosed that the crew members are confined aboard three vessels—MT Honour 25, Eureka and Sward—hijacked in separate incidents between April and May off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden.

Dominguez told the IMO Council, meeting in London this week (6–10 July), that the crews face a severe humanitarian crisis, with dwindling food and water supplies and the constant threat of violence.

“These incidents are a stark reminder that the threat posed by piracy and armed robbery to seafarers has not receded,” Dominguez said.

He urged coordinated support from flag States, coastal States, regional bodies and the shipping industry to secure the seafarers’ safe release.

Dominguez also called on shipowners and operators to bolster crew protection by applying the Best Management Practices for Maritime Security and carrying out robust risk assessments before transiting the region.
Rising maritime-security threats

Over the past three months, IMO has recorded 24 attempted and actual incidents of piracy and armed robbery in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, marked by the use of increasingly dangerous weapons and greater violence against crews. Globally, incidents rose 17% from 146 in 2024 to 171 in 2025.

The IMO said it will continue working with regional initiatives, including the Djibouti Code of Conduct and its Jeddah Amendment—uniting 22 coastal and island States across the Western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden—and capacity-building programmes such as the Red Sea Project to strengthen maritime security cooperation.