International Maritime Bureau(IMB):Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea

News:The International Chamber of Commerce has released the International Maritime Bureau’s (IMB) annual piracy report.

Facts:

Key takeaways from the report:

• There was an overall decline in piracy incidents globally in the year 2019.
• However,there was an alarming increase in piracy related incidents across the Gulf of Guinea.
• The number of crew kidnapped in the Gulf of Guinea increased more than 50% from 78 in 2018 to 121 in 2019.This equates to over 90% of global kidnappings reported at sea.

About Gulf of Guinea:

• The Gulf of Guinea is the northeasternmost part of the tropical Atlantic Ocean.
• The intersection of the Equator and Prime Meridian (zero degrees latitude and longitude) is in the gulf.
• Among the many rivers that drain into the Gulf of Guinea are the Niger and the Volta.