The Gulf of Guinea witnessed 99 piracy and armed robberies in the first nine months of this year, a slight increase over the 90 incidents recorded in the corresponding period of 2022, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) International Maritime Bureau (IMB) report has disclosed.

The document said of the 85 vessels boarded, nine had attempted attacks, three were hijacked and two fired upon.

It revealed that 69 crew members were taken hostage, 14 kidnapped, eight threatened, three injured and one assaulted, even when the violence is among the lowest in three decades.

The report said the perpetrators successfully boarded 89 per cent of targeted vessels, with most incidents occurring at night.

Director at IMB, Michael Howlett, noted that 17 incidents were termed armed robberies and four as piracy, with a mounting concern for the crew taken hostage, kidnapped and injured.

He expressed anxiety over the risks of late or under-reporting of the incidents and commended local authorities for investigating nearly all reported incidents.

His words: “The Gulf of Guinea stands as a region of concern with a rise in reported incidents, as opposed to the downward trend we have seen in the past two years. The IMB sees regional ownership as critical to safeguard shipping and trade, and to address these crimes.

“We encourage reporting any incident, even low-level opportunistic ones, to local authorities as early as possible to protect seafarers and ensure the safety of regional and international shipping and trade.”

Howlett encouraged shipmasters and owners to report all actual, attempted and suspected piracy and armed robbery to IMB Piracy Reporting Centre as a vital first step to ensuring adequate resources are allocated by authorities to tackle maritime crime.