ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has raised concerns over ship crew safety, revealing that the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) accounted for 23 per cent of the 126 crew members taken hostage globally in 2024.

This warning was contained in the IMB’s yearly Piracy and Armed Robbery Report, released yesterday.

IMB noted that while the report highlighted a decline in global maritime incidents and piracy, compared to previous years, the number of reported cases remained comparable to those recorded in 2023 and 2022.

It also noted a worrying increase in hostage-taking and kidnappings, stating that globally, 126 crew members were taken hostage in 2024, compared to 73 in 2023 and 41 in 2022.

The report also recorded 12 crew members kidnapped in 2024, down slightly from 14 in 2023, but higher than the two recorded in 2022.

Additionally, 12 crew members were threatened and one was injured in 2024.

Overall, the report documented 116 incidents against ships in 2024, a slight decrease from 120 in 2023 and similar to 115 in 2022.

These incidents included 94 vessels being boarded, 13 attempted attacks, six hijackings, and three vessels fired upon.