2016 was certainly eventful – and don’t bank on 2017 being any different

Gerry Northwood, of MAST, warns dropping your guard might be short-sighted

2016 was quite a year, not only for the maritime domain but for the world in general. Brexit, a new US president, the rise of the populist Right, the destruction of Aleppo, an attempted coup in Turkey and terrorism in Europe are just some of events that characterised 2016. From a maritime perspective, we can be encouraged by the International Maritime Bureau’s annual report which reports that in 2016 the lowest number of incidents of piracy and armed robbery were reported since 1998: 191 incidents in 2016 and 202 in 1998. Encouraged we should be, but we must also look at some of the trends and some areas where issues are developing.