SAO Tome and Principe, Gabon , Benin and four other African countries led the sailors kidnap chart of the International Maritime Bureau, IMB, in 2021, an indication that Nigeria may have eliminated the menace of piracy in its waters.
In the latest IMB report, a total of 15 crewmen were kidnapped 98 Nautical Miles in Sao Tome Islands on the 23rd of January 2021 as against another 15 sailors Gabon on the eight of February and on the 11th of March, 10 crew members were kidnapped in Benin Republic.
Coming in third position is Equatorial Guinea with a total of six kidnapped crewmembers from a container vessel while a second attack on fishing vessel also took place in Benin on the 31st of May and six crewmen were also kidnapped in the process.
A breakdown of the figure shows that a total of three fishing vessels, two container vessels and a chemical tanker were also attacked.
Nigeria recorded no kidnapping incidents in 2021 with the total number of incidents in its waters dropping more than 80 per cent compared to 2020.
Luanda Anchorage, Angola, and Conakry Anchorage, Guinea, featured in the IMB Piracy Reporting Centre (PRC) list of “Ports and anchorages with three or more reported incidents in 2021”.
That trend may be continuing into 2022 as the IMB PRC reported three armed robbery incidents from Luanda Anchorage during the first six weeks of 2022. (Vanguard)
