Maritime piracy and armed robbery incidents worldwide fell to their lowest first-quarter level in 35 years, with just 16 incidents recorded globally in Q1 2026 compared with 45 a year earlier. The improvement was driven largely by a continued decline off West Africa, where only one incident was reported in the Gulf of Guinea during the quarter.
The regional picture is uneven, however: 2025 saw the Gulf of Guinea account for 92% of the world’s crew kidnappings, and in January 2026 armed pirates abducted nine crew members from a vessel in Gabonese waters. The Singapore Strait has also bucked the global trend, recording its highest number of incidents since 2007, including a hostage-taking and a crew injury in a cluster of attacks in January alone.
Source: Maritime Executive / ReCAAP ISC â https://maritime-executive.com/article/piracy-falls-to-lowest-levels-in-35-years-during-first-quarter-of-2026
Tags: Piracy, Gulf of Guinea, Singapore Strait
