Nigeria has suspended the secure anchorage, a private initiative used by merchant ships for protection from piracy, and vessels will have to anchor at national ports covered a by a new integrated maritime security infrastructure.
The Hellenic Coast Guard has announced eight crew members of the Greek-flagged tanker Happy Lady abducted by pirates in an attack near the coast of Cameroon were released on 22 January after three weeks in captivity
Pirates have freed 19 seafarers kidnapped from a Union Maritime tanker off Togo last month, however, one crew member died while held hostage.
ReCAAP has called for increased patrols in the Singapore Strait after armed robbery attacks spiked to a four year high the busy shipping lane in 2019.
The Gulf of Guinea saw a more than 50% increase in kidnappings by pirates in 2019 with a sharp rise in the fourth quarter, according to the annual report of the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
