Fourteen pirate-kidnapped sailors were rescued in the Gulf of Guinea on Saturday. Ten foreign crew members and four Nigerians who were kidnapped were rescued in an operation off the coasts of Nigeria and Gabon, according to Nigerian army spokesman Mohammed Yerim.

According to Yerima, the operation was carried out successfully with no "ugly incident or loss," and those rescued will be handed over to their families soon.

Despite being one of the world's richest areas in terms of unexploited natural resources, the Gulf of Guinea, which runs along the West and Central African coasts and is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, is regarded as the world's most dangerous sea for piracy.

During the first nine months of 2020, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) recorded a 40 percent rise in cases of piracy and kidnapping in the region.

In 2018, there were 78 pirate attacks reported. In 2019, the number of attacks rose to 121, while the maritime agency registered 132 attacks in the first nine months of 2020, up from 119 in the same period the previous year.

Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, and Angola, all of which are located along the Gulf of Guinea's coast.

Maritime Business World