This revised advisory cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2025-008

1. Reference: None.

2. Issue: Piracy, Armed Robbery, and Kidnapping for Ransom (KFR) continue to pose significant threats to vessels and crews operating in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) as well as to mariners onboard a vessel, or transiting to or from a vessel, in the GoG.

3. Guidance: Over the last several years, pirates, armed robbers, and KFR groups have operated off Nigeria, Benin, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, São Tomé, and Príncipe, and Togo. These groups have fired on vessels during boardings and attempted boardings. KFR groups generally kidnap senior crew members, such as the master and chief engineer, and any Western or foreign crew members. Kidnapped crew members are normally taken ashore in the Niger Delta region where KFR groups demand ransom payments in exchange for the safe return of the crew members. Details of incidents in the GoG can be found in the Office of Naval Intelligence Worldwide Threat to Shipping reports, posted at https://www.oni.navy.mil/ONI-Reports/Shipping-Threat-Reports/Worldwide-Threat-to-Shipping/.

Recent kidnappings for ransom include: Nine crewmembers from the Portuguese flagged liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) carrier CGAS SATURN were abducted on 03 December 2025. The second engineer from the Curacao flagged vessel ORANGE FROST was abducted on 30 May 2025. Twelve crew and pilot from two possible Nigerian flagged passenger vessels were abducted on 06 May 2025. Three crew from possible Nigerian flagged passenger vessels were abducted on 05 April 2025. Seven crew from three Ghana-flagged fishing vessels were abducted on 27 March 2025. Three crew from possible Nigerian flagged passenger vessels were abducted on 26 March 2025. Ten crew were abducted from the Panama-flagged tanker BITU RIVER on 17 March 2025.

Mariners transiting this area should visit the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade-Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GoG) website at https://gog-mdat.org/home and the NATO Shipping Centre website at https://shipping.nato.int/nsc/operations/global-maritime-risk/west-africa-gulf-of-guinea for additional information on threats and specific recommendations for vessels. U.S.-flagged vessels anchoring, transiting, or operating in this region must comply with their approved Vessel Security Plans. Additionally, the Maritime Industry Security Threat Overview (available under the Geography – Gulf of Guinea pull-down menu at https://www.maritimeglobalsecurity.org/) and the BMP Maritime Security (available under the Geography – Global pull-down menu at the same site) provide additional guidance and resources for operating in this area.

U.S.-flagged ships operating in or through the GoG Voluntary Reporting Area designated on Maritime Security Chart Q6114 (chart info available at https://www.admiralty.co.uk/maritime-safety-information/security-related-information-to-mariners) should transit with extreme caution and vigilance. Mariners operating near this area are also advised to consult the Department of
State Travel Advisories for this area at https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories.html/.

All suspicious activities and events involving U.S. vessels or persons must be reported to the U.S. Coast Guard National Response Center at 800-424-8802 in accordance with 33 CFR 101.305.

4. Contact Information: MDAT-GoG is operated by the navies of France and the United Kingdom. This center receives reports, shares important updates, provides guidance on vessel operating patterns, and reviews security risks with the Gulf of Guinea maritime community. Note that MDAT-GoG does not coordinate responses to vessels under attack. MDAT-GoG can be contacted via email at watchkeepers@mdat-gog.orgwatchkeepers@mdat-gog.org or telephone at +33(0)2 98 22 88 88.

For any maritime industry questions about this advisory, contact GMCC@uscg.milGMCC@uscg.mil.

Supplemental information may also be found on the MARAD Office of Maritime Security website at https://www.maritime.dot.gov/ports/office-security/office-maritime-security.

Please copy the U.S. Naval Forces Africa (NAVAF) Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment on any incident report submitted to the NRC or MDAT-GoG. NAVAF NCAGS can be reached at +39 081 568 5521/2591 or via email at M-NA-CNE-CNA-C6F-NCAGS@us.navy.mil.

U.S.-flag vessels operating in this area should consult Revision 9 to Maritime Security (MARSEC) Directive 104–6 (See paragraph 3 of U.S. Maritime Advisory 2025-010).

5. Cancellation of Prior Advisories: This message cancels U.S. Maritime Advisory 2025-008 and will automatically expire on June 13th, 2026.

For more information about U.S. Maritime Alerts and Advisories, including subscription details, please visit https://www.maritime.dot.gov/msci/maritime-security-communications-industry-msci-web-portal.