Gulf of Guinea: Piracy Escalates

The Southeastern Asia is known as a major piracy hotspot, but it has recorded a 50% drop in maritime crime in the first quarter of 2016 compared to the same period in 2015. Meanwhile, the Gulf of Guinea is quickly becoming the hub of maritime crime especially Nigerian waters.

There have been only 13 cases of maritime crime in Southern Asia during the first quarter of 2016, according to the latest analysis from UK’s maritime intelligence and operations company Dryad Maritime. Yet for the Gulf of Guinea this is not the case.

The end of the first quarter of 2016 marked that the longest period without attacks on MVs underway or at anchor within the Singapore Strait since the first quarter of 2013. Somali piracy continues to be broadly contained with no confirmed attacks on large merchant vessels since January 2014.

However, the Gulf of Guinea saw a surge of industrial sabotage ashore, and offshore, the activity of pirate action groups operating with impunity in the face of overstretched Nigerian naval patrols has surged. According to Dryad, 14 commercial vessels were attacked off Rivers and Bayelsa States and in 6 of these incidents, 23 crew were kidnapped for ransom.

Analyzing the state maritime crime, Ian Millen, Chief Operating Officer, Dryad Maritime recently said, “the first three months of 2016 have visibly demonstrated the dynamic nature of maritime crime and how effective action to combat it can turn the tide in favour of the good guys”

“There are some welcome causes for optimism in certain regions, notably the Indian Ocean where Somali piracy remains broadly contained, and in Southeast Asia where we have seen a remarkable turnaround in a little over six months to deliver our lowest first quarter figures in a decade. In other areas, such as the Gulf of Guinea, the picture is a less positive one, with kidnap of crew for ransom rampant off the Niger Delta”

Within the last fortnight, about four pirate attacks have been recorded on Nigerian waters especially the Niger Delta region which has raised suspicious that the Niger Deltan militants may have returned.

Few hours after eight pirates attacked a Malta-flagged tanker MT Puli and kidnapped the vessel’s six crew members some 118 nautical miles off Port Harcourt, another container carrier was also attacked by Nigerian pirates. The container ship owned by the French shipping major CMA CGM was also reported to have been attacked by pirates off Nigeria and two crew members were kidnapped.

Recently, the President of the Nigerian Ship-owners Association (NISA), Alhaji Aminu Umar lamented the recent spate of pirates attacks on Nigerian waters even as it called on the federal government to urgently take steps to tackle the situation as it is giving a negative reputation to the country.

There are several detrimental implications of these attacks and they include; increased War Risk Insurance for foreign vessels coming into the country, aggravate fears of foreign seafarers coming to ply their trade in the nation, diversion of cargo destined for Nigeria to neighbouring ports as a result of the insecurity, among others.

The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), the Nigerian Navy and other security agencies will have to do more to nip this anomaly in the bud. Steps should be taken now, not later.