The worrying return of pirates to the Gulf of Guinea, the world's most dangerous maritime area

Piracy is never over. Off Nigeria, Cameroon, Benin, Togo and other Gabon, in the Atlantic Ocean, maritime insecurity is skyrocketing. Since the start of 2020, Dryad Global, a seas monitoring company, has identified 78 kidnappings for ransom in the Gulf of Guinea. A figure up 23% compared to last year. "Yes, we can say that the pirates are back," nods a senior officer of safety at sea, the trend, which began in late 2019 with five events of this type - 53 hostages held on average for 33 days - worries those industry professionals. “Our branch was in good health before the Covid-19, and now it's much more complicated. Like everywhere. Except that elsewhere, pirates do not exist ", quipped a shipowner, on condition of anonymity. Investigation of this maritime area which has become, from the mouth of all specialists, the most dangerous in the world.

Read also: How France is fighting piracy around the world

To fully understand the issue of the Gulf of Guinea, a photograph

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