Piracy in the 21st century

[5] A turf war between rival drug cartels for control of the lake began in March 2010, resulting in a series of armed robberies and shooting incidents.

[8] Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea affects numerous countries in West Africa and has significant implications for the broader international community.

[9][10] Pirates operating in the Gulf of Guinea are often part of heavily armed criminal enterprises that uses violent methods to steal oil cargo.

These acts of piracy disrupt legitimate trade interests of affected countries, including Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

[10] The economic cost of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea, encompassing stolen goods, security measures, and insurance expenses, has been estimated at approximately $2 billion.

[9] According to the Control Risks Group, pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea had maintained a steady rate of around 100 attempted hijackings by mid-November 2013, ranking the region third globally for piracy incidents, behind Southeast Asia.

[25] By mid-November 2013, the Control Risks Group, reported that pirate attacks in the Strait of Malacca had reached a global high, surpassing the number of incidents in the Gulf of Guinea.

[13] The Sulu and Celebes Seas, a semi- enclosed and porous maritime region spanning approximately 1 million square kilometers,[26] have been hotspots for illegal activities since the pre-colonial era.

In recent years, the abduction of crew members has become the most prevalent illegal activity in the area, with many incidents attributed to the violent extremist group Abu Sayyaf.

Since March 2016, the Information Sharing Centre (ISC) of the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP) has reported a total of 86 abductions.