The Gulf of Guinea is a major shipping route stretching 3,500 miles from Senegal to Angola, with Nigerian gangs carrying out most attacks to create the most dangerous shipping route in the world.

Since 2021, shippers say pirates have been raiding farther out in international waters.

The gulf has periods of calmer seas when it is easier for pirates to race out from hidden bases on the Nigeria coast to raid commercial vessels offshore and kidnap crew.

Many of the attacks in recent years have been carried out by Nigerian criminal gangs who strike out in speed boats from hideouts in the Delta region to raid vessels.

Some gangs have captured larger fishing vessels which they use as a ‘mothership’ base to raid further out to sea.

Yet the region, which sees a lot of traffic from oil tankers, has also seen a lull in activity recently.

Three ships were attacked in the area in 2022, compared to 26 in 2019.

Two other attacks have been recorded in the region in 2023 so far.

The latest is the Saturday attack by pirates on a Danish-owned oil tanker that they hijacked in the most dangerous shipping route in the world. They would later abandon the ship after kidnapping the crew.

Communication was lost with tanker Monjasa Reformer and its location was unknown after five armed pirates boarded the vessel in the Gulf of Guinea, off the coast of West Africa.

Fearing for their lives, all 16 crew members ran to the safe room onboard and barricaded themselves inside.

But now, the vessel has been located off the coast of Sao Tome and Principe and part of the crew has been kidnapped, the ship’s owner Monjasa said on Friday.

The ship was found on Thursday by the French navy – but by that time, the pirates had abandoned the vessel and kidnapped some of the crew members, while others have been brought to safety.

No details were provided on the number of crew kidnapped, nor their nationalities.

Reports from MailOnline