International Maritime Bureau

Last updated
International Maritime Bureau
ICC International Maritime Bureau
AbbreviationIMB
Formation1981
Type Nonprofit
Location
Director
Michael Howlett [2]
Parent organization
International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)
Website icc-ccs.org/imb/

The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) is a specialized department of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC).

The IMB's responsibilities lie in fighting crimes related to maritime trade and transportation, particularly piracy and commercial fraud, and in protecting the crews of ocean-going vessels. It publishes a weekly piracy report and maintains a 24-hour piracy reporting centre in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The IMB is a division of ICC Commercial Crime Services. Its other bureaus include Counterfeiting Intelligence, Financial Investigation, and FraudNet, [3] which, in2025, has 126 attorney members in 81 jurisdictions. [4]

FraudNet is the world's leading network of fraud and asset recovery lawyers with 63 lawyers in 56 different jurisdictions.

The bureau, endorsed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organisation, was founded in 1981. The body has observer status with Interpol and a memorandum of understanding with the World Customs Organization. [5]

Notes

  1. Jones, Timothy (15 April 2025). Crellin, Zac (ed.). "Piracy on the rise across the world — maritime watchdog". dw.com. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
  2. Onyenucheya, Adaku (16 October 2025). "Gulf of Guinea sees 25% rise in piracy attacks in 2025". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. Retrieved 31 October 2025.
  3. Magnani, Enrico (1 November 2022). "Gulf of Guinea and the Sahel: Where Piracy, Terrorism, and Organized Crime Meet – The Postil Magazine". thepostil.com. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  4. "ICC FraudNet". chambers.com. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  5. "Overview". International Maritime Bureau. 26 May 2008. Archived from the original on 30 May 2008. Retrieved 26 May 2008.