Modern Pirates

Piracy has been an issue in several places in the 21st century, there have been hot spots in the vicinity of Somalia, in island Southeast Asia, and most recently and predominantly, in the Gulf of Guinea.

Worryingly, the security threats in west Africa now include piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. In 2020, all but one of the world’s 28 kidnappings recorded at sea occurred in these waters. Similarly, in 2018, all six hijackings at sea, and 13 of the 18 incidents of ships fired upon occurred in the Gulf of Guinea. Of the 141 hostages held at sea that year, 130 were captured by pirates here.

From the Financial Times.

In the Americas, in contrast, it appears that drug and arms smuggling, and human trafficking, have become bigger concerns than out and out piracy.