The otherwise notoriously dangerous Gulf of Guinea has received a fair bill of health from the International Maritime Bureau (IMB). In its latest report, the IMB said only seven incidents of piracy were recorded, while no cases of crew kidnappings were recorded during the first three months of the year.
In its latest global piracy report released yesterday, IMB stated that the first three months of the 2022 saw 37 incidents piracy and armed robbery at sea worldwide, compared to 38 incidents over the same period last year.
It said that nearly half of them occurred in Southeast Asian waters, particularly in the Singapore Straits.
The Gulf of Guinea is the northeastern most part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean from Cape Lopez in Gabon, north and west to Cape Palmas in Liberia. The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian is in the gulf. Among the many rivers that drain into the Gulf of Guinea are the River Niger and the Volta.
The report said the Gulf of Guinea however saw a welcomed decrease in the number of reported incidents, with only seven incidents reported.
But the IMB report said sustained efforts are needed to ensure the continued safety of seafarers in West African waters, as highlighted by the January 24 hijacking of a product tanker off the coast of Ivory Coast during which all 17 crew were taken hostage, though not kidnapped.
It noted that reports of armed robberies have also been received within the anchorage waters of Angola and Ghana.
Opening the scope, worldwide, IMB said however, the first quarter 2022 was the first quarter since 2010 where no crew kidnappings have been reported, although violence against and the threat to crews continue with 23 crew taken hostage and a further four crew threatened.
There have been no reported crew kidnappings within Gulf of Guinea waters in Q1 2022, a welcome change compared to 40 crew kidnappings in the same period in 2021. The IMB noted that efforts taken by maritime authorities in the region, in addition to efforts of the regional and international navies, have resulted in a reduction of reported incidents from 16 in the first quarter of 2021 to seven over the same period in 2022.
The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre, however, urges coastal response agencies and independent international navies to continue their efforts to ensure piracy is permanently addressed in these high-risk waters.
IMB said despite a decrease in reported incidents, the threat of Gulf of Guinea piracy and crew kidnappings remains.
The IMB report further said that almost 30% of all incidents reported globally since the start of 2022 have been against vessels navigating the Singapore Straits.
In 2021, the Gulf of Guinea was described as the world’s piracy hotspot, given the incessant attacks on vessels and kidnapping of seafarers. The IMB said then in its quarterly report on maritime piracy that the Gulf of Guinea remains dangerous for seafarers, accounting for nearly half of all reported piracy incidents in the first quarter.
It noted that while the number of reported piracy attacks against commercial shipping declined in 2021, violence against crew was on the rise with the Gulf of Guinea remaining the world’s piracy hotspot in 2021.
Be the first to know when we publish an update
