MARITIME SNAPSHOT – WEEK 50


The Gulf of Guinea’s shifting piracy trends The Gulf of Guinea (GoG) is currently seeing a shift in piracy trends, while maritime hijackings are down, the total incident numbers are up. The majority of the incidents in the GoG have been reported around Nigeria; however, there has also been a noticeable increase in boardings at the Takoradi anchorage in Ghana. A vital statistic for the area is that 37 of the 39 crew kidnappings for ransom globally have occurred in the GoG region; in seven separate incidents. Of these, 29 of them occurred in four separate incidents off Nigeria – this includes the kidnapping of 12 crewmembers in September form a Swiss-flagged bulk carrier off Bonny Island, Nigeria. The crew members were later released (in October) after a ransom was most likely paid. The region is currently seeing the highest concentration of pirate activity as in other areas of the world, incidents of piracy and armed robbery are comparatively rare. The coast of Somalia is now well police with the last attack occurring in October and resulting in the security team onboard successfully repelling the attackers. South-East Asia has seen a number of attacks on fisherman by Abu Sayyaf militants; however, at this time, militants have not attempted to attack larger vessels. While, finally, South America is seeing opportunistic theft from vessels at anchor. Nevertheless, the risk of piracy remains high in certain areas. The Nigerian Navy actively responds and dispatches patrol boats when incidents have been reported promptly; highlighting the importance of crews reporting incidents in a timely manner. As reported in the Maritime Monthly, the Nigerian economy has lost at least over US$2.5 Billion as a result of piracy. The country’s Senate has negotiated eight maritime bills in three years in am an attempt to tackle the issue. It is hoped that the country’s navy, and those of surrounding countries, can copy the success that foreign navies have had in the Indian Ocean (see below) when it comes to tackling the current threat. BBC report on the success of how foreign navies have curbed piracy off Somalia’s coast The BBC’s Anne Soy has written about how foreign navies have managed to successfully curb piracy off the Somali coast. In the article, Foy highlights the role the European Union Naval Force (EUNavfor) has played in tackling the risk of piracy in the area. However, the article fails to mention the critical role that the industry has played in providing armed security onboard vessels as well as the implementation of BMP measures. To read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-46454055

