The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) says only seven incidents of piracy were recorded in the notoriously dangerous Gulf of Guinea (GOG) in the first quarter of 2022.
IMB, a global database that reports piracy, also said no case of crew kidnappings were recorded during the first three months of the year.
According to IMB, the first three months of the 2022 recorded 37 incidents of piracy and armed robbery at sea worldwide, compared to 38 incidents over the same period in 2021.
The organisation stated that of the number recorded, only seven incidents were reported, saying that “nearly half of them occurred in Southeast Asian waters, particularly in the Singapore Straits”.
This was contained in the Bureau’s quarterly report made available to newsmen.
The report stated that 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.
Reports of armed robberies have also been received within the anchorage waters of Angola and Ghana.
Globally, the first quarter of 2022 was the first quarter since 2010 where no crew kidnappings have been reported, although violence against, and threat to crews continues, with 23 crew taken hostage and a further four crew threatened.
On the GOG, IMB said there have been no reported crew kidnappings within its waters in Q1 2022, which amounts to 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.
The threat to innocent seafarers remains, and is best exemplified with a recent attack in which a Panamax sized bulk carrier was boarded by pirates 260 NM off the coast of Ghana on 3 April.
This illustrates that despite a decrease in reported incidents, the threat of Gulf of Guinea piracy and crew kidnappings remains, the IMB said.
The report said in April there were three incidents, but that an Italian Navy warship and its helicopter instantly intervened, saving the crew and enabling the vessel to proceed to a safe port under escort.

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