U.S. Maritime Advisory 2025-015: Persistent Piracy and Kidnapping Threats in the Gulf of Guinea
GULF OF GUINEA — The United States Maritime Administration issued Advisory 2025-015 on December 15. This advisory revises and supersedes prior guidance. It addresses ongoing risks of piracy, armed robbery, and kidnapping for ransom in the region.
The advisory highlights continued threats to vessels and crews. These threats come from groups operating offshore in waters adjacent to multiple West African states.
Criminal elements maintain the capability to target senior crew members. Examples include masters and chief engineers. It also targets Western or foreign nationals in the Niger Delta region. These groups demand ransom payments for their release.
Details of worldwide threats to shipping are available through the Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping Reports. This is hosted on the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency website.
Reported kidnappings in 2025 include:
Nine crew members abducted from a Portuguese-flagged liquefied petroleum gas carrier on December 3.
The second engineer abducted from a Curacao-flagged vessel on May 30.
Twelve crew abducted from two possible Nigerian-flagged passenger vessels on May 6.
Three crew abducted from Ghana-flagged fishing vessels on April 27.
Seven crew abducted from three possible Nigerian-flagged passenger vessels on March 26.
Ten crew abducted from a Panama-flagged tanker on March 17.
These incidents underscore the persistent operational reach of threat actors.
Operational Guidance, Analysis and Recommended Resources
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