The attackers fired their weapons towards the accommodation and bridge, then opened containers and stole the contents before leaving. On 26 September 2020, a container vessel was boarded by armed perpetrators during its river passage at Guayaquil. Call for more reportingДЄll vessel types in the Caribbean, Central and South AmericaВ вЂ“ including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Haiti, Mexico and Peru are being targeted at anchor as well as underway, and during river passages under pilotage. These are viewed as low level opportunistic thefts with most reported on anchored vessels. There has been a sharp quarterly decrease in the number of incidents within the Indonesian archipelagic, with four reported in Q3, down from 14 in Q2. Knives were reported in at least ten of the incidents. While most are considered low level crimes, two crew were threatened, one injured and another taken hostage, indicating a continued risk to the crew. The piracy center recorded 15 attacks to ships underway in the Singapore Straits. The IMB piracy report includes a special thanks to the Nigerian Authorities, particularly the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency NIMASA who вЂњcontinue to provide timely information, actions and valuable cooperation between AgenciesвЂќ. A Nigerian naval team was dispatched, who boarded, conducted a search, and then escorted the ship to a safe anchorage for investigations. Two crewmembers were kidnapped, but the rest of the crew managed to retreat into the citadel вЂ“ one of the industryвЂ™s recommended best practices endorsed by IMB. Regional Authorities were notified and the 13 kidnapped crewmembers were released safely one month later.ДЄ more recent example was on 8 September 2020, when armed pirates attacked a refrigerated cargo ship underway around 33nm south-southwest of Lagos, Nigeria. A nearby merchant vessel later helped the tanker to sail to a safe port.The tanker was left drifting with limited and unqualified navigational and engine crew onboard.They held all 19 crewmembers hostage, stole shipвЂ™s documents and valuable items, and escaped with 13 kidnapped crew.On 17 July 2020, eight pirates armed with machine guns boarded a product tanker underway around 196 nautical miles southwest of Bayelsa, Nigeria.The furthest attack from shore also involved the most crew kidnapped from a single vessel in 2020.With approximately 95% of global kidnappings reported from within Gulf of Guinea waters, IMB warns that pirate gangs in the area are вЂњwell organized and targeting all vessel types over a wide rangeвЂќ. вЂњWhile IMB liaises with authorities swiftly in case of a pirate attack, we encourage all Coastal states and Regional Cooperations to take responsibility for ensuring maritime security within their EEZ to achieve safer seas and secure trade.вЂќ Gulf of Guinea the worldвЂ™s piracy hotspot вЂњCrews are facing exceptional pressures due to Covid-19, and the risk of violent piracy or armed robbery is an extra stress,вЂќsaid Michael Howlett, Director of IMB, whose Piracy Reporting Center (IMB PRC) has responded to reports and shared data since 1991, supporting seafarers and fishers worldwide. Two fishing vessels were hijacked, both in the Gulf of Guinea. A total of 112 vessels were boarded and six were fired upon, while 12 reported attempted attacks. In the first nine months of 2020, seafarers reported 134 cases of assault, injury and threats, including 85 crewmembers being kidnapped and 31 held hostage onboard their ships. Of the 85 seafarers kidnapped from their vessels and held for ransom, 80 were taken in the Gulf of Guinea вЂ“ in 14 attacks reported off Nigeria, Benin, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and Ghana. IMBвЂ™s latest global piracy report details 132 attacks since the start of 2020, up from 119 incidents in the same period last year. Pirates are kidnapping more seafarers off West Africa, says a International Chamber of Commerce news report. Pirates armed with guns and knives are abducting bigger groups of seafarers at further distances off the West African coast.This comes with a 40% increase in the number of kidnappings reported in the Gulf of Guinea.ICC International Maritime Bureau (IMB) figures show a rise in piracy and armed robbery on the worldвЂ™s seas in the first nine months of 2020.

Mexico pirate attacks