On January 15, a report of the International Chamber of Commerce’s (ICC’s) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) was released, revealing that piracy at sea had reached its lowest level in six years, with 264 attacks recorded worldwide in 2013, a 40% drop since Somali piracy peaked in 2011. According to the report, just 15 incidents were reported off Somalia in 2013, down from 75 in 2012 and 237 in 2011.

The IMB’s latest yearly global piracy report shows more than 300 people were taken hostage at sea last year and 21 were injured, nearly all with guns or knives. A total of 12 vessels were hijacked, 202 were boarded and 22 were fired on, while a further 28 reported attempted attacks. Nigerian pirates were particularly violent, killing one crew member and kidnapping 36 people to hold onshore for ransom.

According to Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) has monitored world piracy since 1991, the single biggest reason for the drop in worldwide piracy is the decrease in Somali piracy off the coast of East Africa. Somali pirates have been deterred by a combination of factors, including the key role of international navies, the hardening of vessels and other recommendations in the shipping industry’s best management practices, the use of private armed security teams and the stabilising influence of Somalia’s central government.

The 15 incidents attributed to Somali pirates in 2013 included the hijacking of two vessels, both of which were released within a day as a result of naval actions. A further eight vessels were fired on. These figures are the lowest since 2006, when ten Somali attacks were recorded.

West African piracy made up 19% of attacks worldwide last year. Nigerian pirates and armed robbers accounted for 31 of the region’s 51 attacks, taking 49 people hostage and kidnapping 36, more than in any year since 2008. Nigerian pirates ventured far into waters off Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, where they were linked with at least five of the region’s seven reported vessel hijackings. Off the coast of Nigeria itself, two ships were hijacked, 13 were boarded and 13 fired on.

Malaysian waters saw the hijacking of two product tankers, with 27 crew taken hostage, which resulted in the theft of the ships’ property and cargo.

In Indonesian anchorages and waters, a high number of “low-level opportunistic thefts” took place, but these were not comparable with “the more serious incidents off Africa”. However, these accounted for more than 50% of all vessels boarded in 2013, and armed robbery increased for a fourth consecutive year. Over a third of the Indonesian incidents were reported in the last quarter of 2013. The IMB’s PRC has been working closely with the Indonesian Marine Police, which has increased maritime patrols and designated safe anchorage areas for vessels to use in certain higher-risk ports.

Attacks in India and Bangladesh are also described in the report as “low-level and opportunistic”. Incidents off India have increased year-on-year since 2010, reaching 14 in 2013, while the IMB says active patrolling by the Bangladesh Coast Guard has kept the number of incidents off Chittagong, in Bangladesh, at around 12 for the last few years.

The PRC is the only independent 24-hour manned centre receiving reports from, and providing information to, ships, law enforcement agencies and governments in respect of piracy attacks around the world. The IMB strongly urges all shipmasters and owners to report all incidents of actual and attempted piracy and armed robbery to the PRC. This first step in the response chain is vital to ensuring that adequate resources are allocated by authorities to tackle piracy. Transparent statistics from an independent, nonpolitical international organisation can act as a catalyst to achieve this goal.

Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act
On January 16, the Tax Administration Laws Amendment Act, 2013, was published – it was signed by President Jacob Zuma on January 14 and will come into operation on a date to be determined by the President by proclamation in the Government Gazette.

The proposed amendments relate to Section 4, which deals with the general duties and powers of officers; Section 21A, which contains provisions for the administration of customs-controlled areas in industrial development zones and special economic zones; and sections 64E and 119A.

Section 4 was the subject of a Constitutional Court judgment, released on November 14, 2013, which was extensively covered in an instalment of this column titled ‘Constitutional Court rules on officers’ duties and powers’, which was published in the November 29, 2013, edition.

TDCA Export Permits
In a 17-page Government Gazette dated January 21, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) published the ‘Procedures for the Application, Administration and Allocation of Export Permits under the Trade, Development and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of South Africa’.

The products covered by the export permits are cut flowers, fruit and nuts (strawberries, pears, apricots, peaches, fruit mixtures), fruit juices (pineapple juice, apple juice) and wines.

WTO Import Permits
In a 22-page Government Gazette dated January 21, the DAFF published the ‘Application for Market Access Permits for Agricultural Products’. The World Trade Organisation (WTO) import permits cover a range of products, including meat, milk and cream, buttermilk, whey, butter, cheese, eggs, vegetables (fresh and dried), fruit (dried), wheat and meslin, maize, buckwheat, malt extract, pasta, food preparations, wine, spirits, unmanufactured tobacco and cotton.

Frozen Potato Chips Safeguard
A Government Gazette notice or any other notice has yet to be published or any notification given following the provisional safeguard on frozen potato chips that was imposed up to and including January 20.

Certificate of Origin Verification Website
The ICC World Chambers Federation (WCF) announced on January 21 that it had launched the Certificate of Origin verification website to reinforce the authenticity of the certificate of origin verification process conducted by customs authorities and chambers.

Introduced in response to requests from ICC WCF International Certificate of Origin Accreditation Chain members, the initiative aims to offer customs authorities an opportunity to verify the authenticity of certificates of origin issued by participating chambers.