According to the International Maritime Office’s Piracy Reporting Center (IMB PRC), incidents of piracy and armed robbery worldwide increased by 23% in 2025 compared to 2024. While this overall increase is worrying, a closer look at the numbers reveals encouraging trends and improvements in some regions and operating areas.
In 2025, 29 incidents were recorded in African waters, compared to 26 in 2024. Although the resurgence of Somali pirate activity is worrying, West African waters continue to account for the majority of cases, or 72% of all incidents reported on the continent. Incidents in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea remained at historically low levels in 2025.
However, crew safety remains a source of concern: the number of crew members kidnapped increased from 12 in 2024 to 23 in 2025. The region accounted for 92% of all crew abductions worldwide during the year. In 2025, 57% of incidents in West Africa occurred while ships were at the mooring or at the docking. Angola (14%) leads the West African countries reporting incidents and joined this year by Nigeria (14%). According to data from the IMB PRC, the breakdown of incidents includes Ghana (10%), Sao Tomé and Principe (10%), Côte d’Ivoire (7%), Equatorial Guinea (7%). It should be noted that until then, Senegal has not recorded acts of piracy and robbery in its territorial waters.`
source : pressafrik
