A machine gun on a boat off the Nigerian coast
Gulf of Guinea piracy worsens
Maritime regulators and the shipping industry issue warnings over escalating frequency, severity and range of pirate attacks
The problem of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea continues to worsen, prompting the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO) to issue fresh warnings and convene a safety committee meeting for later this year. But amid the escalation, the IMO and maritime insurers continue to issue the same official guidance for shipowners and operators, limiting the impact on shipping. In the latest significant incident, container ship the Mozart was attacked in late January around 98 nautical miles (nm) northwest of Sao Tome and Principe, with the death of one crew member and the abduction of 15 more. And there have been further incidents since, including an LNG tanker being fired upon and a refined p
Also in this section
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat
3 March 2026
The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in US–Israeli strikes marks the most serious escalation in the region in decades and a bigger potential threat to the oil market than the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis
2 March 2026
A potential blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following the escalating US-Iran conflict risks disrupting Qatari LNG exports that underpin global gas markets, exposing Asia and other markets to sharp price spikes, cargo shortages and renewed reliance on dirtier fuels
