Crew Kidnappings Surge 50% Off W. Africa

Despite overall piracy incidents declining in 2019, there was an alarming increase in crew kidnappings across the Gulf of Guinea.

Number of crew kidnappings jumped from 78 in 2018 to 121 last year, according to the International Chamber of Commerce’s International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual piracy report.

This equates to over 90% of global kidnappings reported at sea with 64 crew members kidnapped across six separate incidents in the last quarter of 2019 alone. The region accounted for 64 incidents including all four vessel hijackings that occurred in 2019, as well as 10 out of 11 vessels that reported coming under fire.

“We remain concerned that this region has recorded an unprecedented rise in crew kidnaps. These latest statistics confirm the importance of increased information exchange and coordination between vessels, reporting and response agencies in the Gulf of Guinea Region. Without the necessary reporting structures in place, we will be unable to accurately highlight the high-risk areas for seafarers and address the rise of piracy incidents in these persistently vulnerable waters,” said Michael Howlett, Director of the ICC International Maritime Bureau.

In 2019, IMB’s Piracy Reporting Center received 162 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships worldwide, in comparison to 201 reported incidents in 2018.

The incidents included four hijacked vessels, 11 vessels fired upon, 17 attempted attacks, and 130 vessels boarded, according to the latest IMB figures. While the overall decline in piracy incidents is an encouraging development, vessels remain at risk in several regions, especially the Gulf of Guinea.