Piracy in the Gulf of Guinea area has shot up in recent times – with over 130 crew members taken hostage in 2013 alone. (Wikimedia Commons)

Two American sailors were kidnapped off the coast of Nigeria in the early hours of Wednesday, a U.S. official confirmed. The captain and the chief engineer aboard the C-Retriever, a U.S. vessel owned by the Louisiana-based Edison Chouest Offshore, were taken hostage and are currently being held at an unknown location.

About 90 U.S. Marines are in the West African region on a Dutch vessel at the moment, but reports indicate that they have not been assigned to any rescue operation so far.

Reports of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea area have increased dramatically in recent times, with 7 ships hijacked, 40 pirate attacks, and 34 incidents of crew members being kidnapped that in total saw over 130 crew members taken hostage in 2013 alone. Piracy in the area has accounted for 30% of over 1,400 piracy attacks in African waters from 2003-2011, and this number has continued to rise with time.

West African leaders met in June this year in Cameroon to discuss this issue, and appealed for the creation of an international naval force to prevent piracy in the region, according to BBC News.

"I urge the international community to show the same firmness in the Gulf of Guinea as displayed in [Somalia's] Gulf of Aden, where the presence of international naval forces has helped to drastically reduce acts of piracy," said Ivory Coast president Alassane Ouatarra.

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