Curzon warns that piracy is deadlier, more widespread, and more frequent than ever before:
- In 2008, more than half of all incidents were concentrated in the Gulf of Aden, which made combating piracy easy for navies. In 2010, piracy incidents were spread across the western Indian Ocean in an area twice the size of Europe making combating piracy reactive, not preventive.
- In 2008, the average hostage detention was 50 days. In 2010, the average was 150 days.
- The “resolution cost” (e.g. ransom) paid per incident has skyrocketed, averaging $150,000 per incident in 2005, $1 million in 2008, and $10 million in 2010
- Hostages are increasingly subject to abuse and harmed during negotiations, which previously was very rare in earlier years when hostages could actually expect to be treated quite well.
- Insurers are making increased demands on ships that they bear arms and have trained security personnel on board who can fight piracy.
- Presently, there are 30 vessels held and more than 700 crew held hostage — more than any other single time.