Maritime piracy and robbery fell to the lowest level in more than a quarter of a century last year according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), which attributed the decrease to robust counter strategies by authorities.
The number of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea fell to 34, from 81 in 2020, with the IMB commending the "robust actions" of Denmark's navy to neutralise a piracy group in late November.
But the region remains the worst-affected area globally with the most attacks rated by the IMB as severity level 1 and 2, and the body warned ships in the region to remain vigilant. Severity levels 1 and 2 encompass incidents that directly affect the crew, such as a kidnapping or hijacking, or an incident in which the ship or security escort are fired upon. The Gulf of Guinea is a busy area for tanker traffic, with west Africa exporting crude and importing oil products, particularly from Europe.
The number of seafarers kidnapped at sea fell by 55pc on the year to 57, and one seafarer was killed. All kidnappings took place in the Gulf of Guinea, in seven incidents.
"While the overall reduction in globally reported incidents is welcomed, the IMB piracy reporting centre urges coastal states to acknowledge the inherent risk from piracy and armed robbery and robustly address this crime within the waters of their exclusive economic zone," IMB director Michael Howlett said.
