New breed of pirates prefer looting to ransoms

International sanctions have unintended consequence for businesses

The sea around Africa’s Niger Delta is now the most dangerous area for piracy against shipping, even more so than the waters off the Somalian coast, according to a new report.

The report was published by security firm AKE and logistics group GAC, according to The Times.

The report said that the piracy threat is also growing in the seas of South East Asia.

AKE maritime analyst Rory Lamrock said that west African pirates tended to be more aggressive than their Somalian counterparts, often looting tankers at random rather than trying to kidnap the crew for ransom money.

The 2025 Insurance Times Awards took place on the evening of Wednesday 3rd December in the iconic Great Room of London’s Grosvenor House.

Hosted by comedian and actor Tom Allen, 34 Gold, 23 Silver and 22 Bronze awards were handed out across an amazing 34 categories recognising brilliance and innovation right across the breadth of UK general insurance.
Many congratulations to all the worthy winners and as always, huge thanks to our sponsors for their support and our judges for their expertise.

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