A global maritime agency, International Maritime Bureau, (IMB) has named the Gulf of Guinea as the world’s piracy hotspot in 2021.
IMB said its report was based on the incessant attacks on vessels and seafarers by pirates in the Gulf of Guinea.
IMB, in its quarterly report, insisted that the Gulf of Guinea remained a dangerous zone for seafarers, accounting for nearly half of all reported piracy incidents in the first quarter of the year.
The statement noted that during the first three months of 2021, the IMB report showed a total of 38 incidents compared with 47 a year ago.
According to the report, the Gulf of Guinea accounted for nearly half (43 percent) of all reported piracy incidents in the first three months of 2021.
It noted that while the number of reported piracy attacks against commercial shipping declined in 2021, violence against crew is on the rise in the region.
Despite a drop in the number of reported piracy incidents for Q1 2021, violence against crews is on the rise compared with the previous years, it said.
IMB said since the start of 2021, 40 crew members have been kidnapped and one crew member killed compared to 22 crew members that were kidnapped a year ago.
“The Gulf of Guinea continues to be particularly dangerous for seafarers accounting for nearly half of all reported piracy incidents. All the kidnappings and the one crew fatality also occurring in the region,” it stated.
The Bureau noted that pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea were well equipped with sophisticated weapons and ready to attack further away from the shorelines.
IMB Director, Michael Howlett, said, “Pirates operating within the Gulf of Guinea are well equipped to attack further away from shorelines and are unafraid to take violent action against innocent crews.”