Maritime piracy: Gulf of Guinea remained the area worst affected in 2019

Key findings:

In 2019, the Gulf of Guinea remained the area worst affected by piracy and maritime robbery of vessels worldwide. Although the number of incidents decreased from 2018, a 60 percent increase in the number of crew members kidnapped was reported in 2019, with a total of 164.
The Yemeni-flagged fishing dhow Al Azham was hijacked to be used as a mothership in an attack on fishing vessels off the coast of Somalia in April 2019. EUNAVFOR intercepted the hijacked dhow, arrested the pirates, and released the 23 hostages onboard. The hijacking underlined that the threat of piracy off Somalia is not eradicated, only suppressed.
The number of incidents in Latin America and the Caribbean remained the same in 2019 as in 2018. Violent kidnapping and armed robbery incidents against fishing vessels, yachts, and a cargo vessel were reported in Guyana, Trinidad, and Panama, and included the murders of four fishermen and one captain of a motor yacht. Several crew members were also seriously injured, and female crew were sexually assaulted.
Kidnapping of crew on fishing vessels by Abu Sayaff and associated groups continued in the Sulu Sea, as did kidnappings off the Bangladeshi portion of the Sundarbans by criminal gangs. Robbery and attempted robbery of commercial vessels, but especially of tugs towing barges, increased in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore in 2019, with 34 reported incidents.

East Africa:

Twelve incidents of piracy and robbery of ships were recorded in East Africa in 2019. One incident of hijacking was reported, during which the Yemeni fishing dhow Al Azham was hijacked to be used as a mothership in attacks on two other fishing vessels, both of which were unsuccessful.
Suspicious approaches reported in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden are often not linked to piracy; rather, they are more closely associated with the conflict in Yemen, fishing vessels and trolling skiffs operating in the area, and smuggling activity.

West Africa:

The Gulf of Guinea was the area most affected by piracy and maritime robbery worldwide in 2019. Although fewer incidents were reported compared to 2018, a 60 percent increase in the number of crew members kidnapped was reported in 2019. Nigeria is at the epicenter of this problem in the Gulf of Guinea, and as in recent years, kidnapped crew members were held hostage in the Niger Delta in 2019.
In total, 43 incidents were reported at ports and at anchorages. High numbers of incidents of robbery and attempted robbery were also reported at Lagos Anchorages, Nigeria. Two hijackings were reported at Lomé Anchorage, Togo, and crew members were kidnapped from anchorages at Bonny, Nigeria; Cotonou, Benin; and Douala and Limboh, Cameroon.

Asia:

In 2019, Stable Seas recorded 89 incidents in Asia, which is nine fewer than the number reported in 2018.
The number of robberies and attempted robberies dropped significantly in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore (SOMS) between 2016 and 2018, mainly due to an increase in patrols by littoral states. Seven incidents were recorded in 2018. Of concern is the high number of robberies and attempted robberies reported in the SOMS in 2019. Seventeen incidents of robbery and attempted robbery of tugs towing barges were recorded, and one of a dredger towed by a barge, with more incidents recorded close to Tanjung Piai, Johor. Attacks on 16 bulk carriers and tankers while underway in the SOMS were also recorded.

Latin America and Caribbean:

In 2019, Stable Seas recorded 84 incidents of piracy and robbery in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is one fewer than the number reported in 2018. Only three of these incidents could be classified as piracy.
In 2019, 14 fishermen were kidnapped during four incidents; three were off the southern coast of Trinidad and one was in the Manosa River in Venezuela.

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