A rise in violence from pirates over the past year has made the Gulf of Guinea the most dangerous region for seafarers.
A study from the US-based group Oceans Beyond Piracy says these incidents included an increase the use of “kidnap-for-ransom” tactics.
The report says pirates in the Gulf of Guinea have largely turned their focus away from the oil tankers they used to rob for their cargo.
That’s no longer lucrative because of low oil prices, so there’s since been a shift to kidnapping for ransom, reports the BBC.
These attacks are now said to increasingly involve violence.
Nigerian security forces have been responding to the threat but the pirates have only moved their activities further into international waters.
