The IMB report noted that a total of 180 incidents of piracy and armed robbery against ships were reported to it in 2017. In 2017, there were 36 reported incidents with no vessels hijacked in this area and 10 incidents of kidnapping involving 65 crewmembers in or around Nigerian waters. Globally 16 vessels reported being fired upon, including seven in the Gulf of Guinea. The Nigerian authorities have intervened in a number of incidents helping to prevent incidents from escalating,” Pottengal Mukundan, Director of IMB, said. In the Philippines, the number of reported incidents has more than doubled, from 10 in 2016 to 22 in 2017.

Source: Nigerian Tribune January 11, 2018 06:45 UTC