Maritime piracy still poses a threat to shipping despite it reaching its lowest level since 1996, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB).
“Kidnapping and hostage-taking persists off the coasts of West Africa and South East Asia, despite a 20-year low in piracy,” it said.
The IMB’s latest global piracy report shows that pirates armed with guns or knives took 110 seafarers hostage in the first nine months of 2016, and kidnapped 49 crew for ransom.
